Save Me
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There was a word that came into our everyday vocabulary a few years back. Some of you may know it and some of may have used it. That word is hoarding.
If you look it up online at the Webster’s Dictionary web page you will get 3 definitions. I want to read to you two of them.
The first one says...
Hoarding - the practice of collecting or accumulating something (such as money or food)
Hoarding - the practice of collecting or accumulating something (such as money or food)
The second one is the psychology definition.
Psychology: Hoarding - the compulsion to continually accumulate a variety of items that are often considered useless or worthless by others accompanied by an inability to discard the items without great distress.
Psychology: Hoarding - the compulsion to continually accumulate a variety of items that are often considered useless or worthless by others accompanied by an inability to discard the items without great distress.
A&E ran a show for 6 seasons called Hoarders. In this show were extreme cases of hoarding. It featured people with real-life struggles and received treatment for their compulsive hoarding disorder. As each hoarder received help and treatment, the primary battle was parting with their belongings.
I remember watching this show a few times and I would hurt with these people as they would try to let go of these items they had accumulated.
Peter Kramer, American Psychiatrist and faculty member of Brown Medical School, says, “People justify hoarding as curating and recycling, deeming odd objects beautiful and useful.”
While I know that this is a radical behavior, many people have a hoarding mentality when it comes to money. So, today, in our series Money Talks, I want to look at this mindset. The world’s money says, “Hoard Me.” God’s money says, “Save me.” Let’s take a look at the difference.
The first thing that we need to remember about money, is it’s not yours. It all belongs to God. He just lets us use it.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.
If you have your bibles with you, go to the book of Matthew, chapter 6. I want to read two verses this morning to begin. Starting at verse 19.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
First, Jesus isn’t instructing you not to save. Don’t even think that. You should save.
20 The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
You should definitely save money for future plans. What Jesus is condemning is the attitude toward money and possessions that makes these things more important than eternal values. Then look at what He said in verse 21.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Wherever our focus lies, whatever occupies our thought and our time—that is our “treasure”. Jesus is warning us to not let our hearts be wrapped around our treasures. Our heart will be with our treasure. What we treasure most controls us, whether we like to admit it or not. If you want to know where your heart is, look at your bank account. Where do you spend the most money. Are you consumed with entertainment? Are you consumed with clothing or a large house payment? Where is your treasure located? That is where your heart is. How much do you give to God? What percentage do you tithes? These are things to look at. Where is your treasure, because that is where your heart will be? Jesus is warning us. Then look at what He says in verse 24.
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Look at the word serve. In the Greek it is douleuō (do-lev-o), which means to be dominated by or be a slave to. Jesus says you can’t be a slave to both God and money. Which one are you going to let control your life.
The key in every area of your finances is putting God first. When you do, watch how He provides. Think about this...
The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness totally dependent on God. He provided manna each morning. Manna was a white flakey substance like bread. Manna literally means “What is it?” in Hebrew.
Each morning, the Israelites were told to gather what they needed for that one day. This rule was to protect them from hoarding. If they gathered more than they needed, the manna became infested with maggots. There was one exception. The day before the Sabbath, the Israelites were to gather twice as much manna so they could rest on the Sabbath, and for that day, that one extra day, it would not rot.
God was teaching His people trust. Where in your own life is God teaching you to trust Him? Saving is all about having a heart that’s right before God. A heart that trust Him enough to say, “I am not going to hoard money or things because God alone is my portion.
Remember, I said it earlier, this does not mean we aren’t to save.
Through Joseph, God instructed the Egyptians to save during the seven years of plenty to prepare for the seven years of famine that would follow. Pharaoh trusted Joseph, and Joseph kept all of Egypt, and ultimately his own family and the Israelite people, from starving. Joseph trusted God enough to save when God said to save.
The difference between Joseph and the Israelites trying to hoard manna was the posture of their hearts. When God said save, Joseph saved. When God told the Israelites not to hoard, they had to trust and only gather enough for the day ahead. God will lead and guid you if you let Him, and that applies as much to money as it does to every other area of your life.
Christians get all up in arms if they ever talk about taking “In God We Trust” off of our money, but how many times do we actually trust God with our money.
As the Israelites prepared to enter the promised land, Moses reminded them of how God provided manna in the wilderness, how God kept even their clothes from wearing out. Look at Deuteronomy 8:16-18
16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you.
17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”
18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Who gave you the wealth you have? Even if you don’t inherit a dime from your family and worked hard to build wealth up yourself, God gave you the strength of your hands and the creativity of your mind. God is the One who gave you the very ability to build the wealth you have, whether that’s a lot or a little. Give God thanks for all you have.
And if you are struggling and I don’t mean just because the economy is bad, I mean really struggling. Where is your heart at? Are you completely trusting God with your finances?
So, how much money is enough? Money says, “There is never enough. You need me to be happy. You need more of me to sleep at night.” But what does God say.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus says to you, “Trust me. I will provide. I will give you the strength you need. I will supply your needs.
Remember you can’t take the money you have with you. Remember our text.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Few possessions are long-lasting, and none are eternal. It’s where your treasure is that counts. So why should we save?
1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.
2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.
3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
James isn’t saying that saving is a terrible thing to do, but when we hoard money simply for ourselves it will not last. Saving has to be done with a purpose in mind. We have to avoid any unnecessary expenses that are wasteful. In other words, purchase what you need but don’t be extravagant, keep it basic. It all comes down to living a life of simplicity by deciding what we require and what we’re willing to go without.
Remember that heaven is our home, not earth and when we save that should be in our minds. Where are you storing up your treasures?
There is only one promise we are given for sure and that is Jesus is Lord. When we understand that, that is when the blessings will flow because we have allowed Him to be our provider, our peace, our comforter, our joy. He takes away our anxiety.
3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Freedom comes in surrendering all that we have and all that we are to the Lord. Surrender is the single most powerful tool to achieving financial freedom. A financial advisor may promise freedom if you allow him or her to invest your money, but even the savviest investor can’t guarantee peace of mind, especially in today’s economy, only God can do that.
I want us to do something this morning. I want all of us to stand. Now imagine taking your money and placing it in your hand. Hold it out in front of you and make this declaration.
Everyone repeat this after me and mean it. Say...
Dear Jesus.
Everything I have is yours.
All my finances.
All my property
All my money
All my savings
I place it in your hands.
I place my trust in you.
I want to do what you want me to do.
I give you my heart
Guide me in my finances
Lead me to give and save and live
I give you all I have
In Jesus name amen.
You can be seated. Did you mean it? We can not expect our finances to be on the right path if we don’t give them to God and let him be the lord of our life.
I truly believe that if there was a giant news story that said it is confirmed God is not real. I believe that people would go about their business as usual. But if you were to tell someone that there is no money in their bank account they would freak out. If you are honest with yourself, which statement raises your level of anxiety more?
For many of us, running out of money is the greater fear, so we chase after it or we cling to what we do have. We hoard money.
Today, you have released that anxiety and you have given it to Jesus. Put your trust in Him. Let’s pray.