Our Treasure, Our Heart

Early on in the Rooted series we talked about the 7 Rhythms of a Disciple. Daily Devotions, Prayer, Repentance, Sacrificial Giving, Serve the Community, Share Your Story, and Worship.

One of those rhythms of being a disciple is Sacrificial Giving.

When it comes to being rooted in Christ our attitude toward money will either cause our roots to grow deeper or our roots will stay shallow in our relationship with Jesus.

Money is a very touchy issue for most people. Money issues can cause great tension in life because everything is expensive. We only have so much money to give because I have to take care of my family first.

I’m not here to razz anybody with a guilt trip when it comes to giving to the church, giving to missions, or just being generous. What you give is between you and God.

I get it, most people are drowning in debt, in medical bills, cars need repair, sticker shock at the grocery store, higher interest rates… I get it because I’m living in the same situation.

However, even with all that financial pressure we must look to God’s Word. The Bible says about money and what our attitude should be toward money.

The way we think about money and the place it has in our lives is extremely important. So important, that Jesus taught more on money than faith and prayer—more than anything else except for the Kingdom of God. He knew the power money can have in our lives and how it can help us accomplish God’s purpose. He also knew how easily it can strangle the very purpose for which we were created.

Jesus warned us about keeping the main thing the main thing when it comes to money.

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

PRAY

Jesus is teaching us that we all choose our treasure. The things of earth or the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus warns us not to put all our investments in earthly materials. These things are temporary, easily destroyed, and can be stolen. They are hear and gone. We can only enjoy them for a season or until we are no longer on the earth.

Our treasure has to do with our money but it also has to do with our time so what are you investing your time and money in?

It’s so easy to waste money on things that don’t really matter.

Money is very personal issue yet Jesus’s teaching on money is very practical.

How we Spend our Money is a Measure of our Heart

Jesus get’s down to the real issue which is the impact we can make here on earth for the Kingdom of God. Our Kingdom influence is at stake but when it comes to our money we don’t like to be accountable, we don’t like to set up a budget, we don’t like to be told no.

We want to say yet to that $7 drink at Biggby every day, we want to go out to eat every night, we want to buy another trinket on Amazon or that gadget on the TikTok Store.

Saying no in the moment isn’t very convenient but the reward to saying no gives us the opportunity to say yes to the things that are so much better.

When we lay up for ourselves treasure on earth it’s only something that will benefit us in the moment.

Think about the vices out there to spend money on like sports gambling, alcohol, pot, or cigarettes… those things benefit us in the moment.

Think about the financial and time commitment families make so our kids are involved in so many activities and sports that they hijack every Sunday.

Jesus said what we spend our money on is an indicator of where our heart is.

Are you living within your means financially? Are you paying for a car, a house, a boat that you can’t afford? Are you paying for extra steaming subscriptions, a gym membership, a premium cable package that you don’t need?

If you can afford those extra things, that’s wonderful then get them but if we are spending more money then we are earning, your treasure is misplaced.

If you can afford those things, think about the things you can give that give eternal value.

When you are enslaved to the treasure it will cause you to work more hours, deplete your energy, destroy your relationships and cause us to go deeper and deeper into debt. Jesus warns us not to allow our love for this world to determine how we spend money.

But instead, Jesus gave us an alternative to what we should treasure. Matthew 6:20-21

Jesus said to invest in the things that will last forever which is the treasures of heaven.

We can choose what we treasure, one treasure creates bondage, the other treasure gives freedom.

One treasure is temporary, the other treasure is eternal.

One treasure can only be enjoyed while we are living here on earth, the other treasure will outlive us.

Be careful what you treasure because Jesus warns us that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:21 ESV

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

In other words, wherever our focus lies, whatever occupies our thoughts and our time—that is our “treasure.”

Our heart will be with our treasure. The “heart” refers to the mind, emotions, and will.

What we treasure most controls us, whether we admit it or not. This is not limited to financial treasure.

Some people treasure their house, car, or children almost to the point of idolatry.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Jesus said we can’t love and serve both God and money. There is a raging battle going on over our hearts. Which powerful master will claim our hearts?

Money is an issue of the heart.

When it comes to where we “put” money in our lives, we often think we can keep a good balance. But sometimes, when we lean toward money, we begin to serve power, prestige, pride, and selfishness—none of which are from God.

We want to think money doesn’t have power over us, or that it has a neutral place in our lives. But there are times when we listen to the promises money makes: promises to make us somebody, or to give us security and safety.

Money is immensely powerful and the love of it makes us more susceptible to believing Satan’s lies.

Money has the power to undermine our love for God and our desire to serve Him. The tricky thing is, money is part of our world. We can’t live without it. We need it to function normally in society. In that case, we need to have control over it, so it doesn’t take control over us.

It comes down to a decision of faith that God places in our hearts.

Will we choose money or God?

Money is tangible. We can hold it, see it, count it, look at numbers going up or down.

Our faith in God is not something we can physically hold or touch. There’s no way of quantifying our love and trust in Him. But that’s why it’s called faith.

We trust that God will keep HIS promise to provide every good and perfect thing we need.

We trust He is our loving Father who is involved in every detail of our lives and holds us in the palm of His hand.

If our hearts are focused inward rather than on God, the way we handle money will reflect that. Jesus talks about money to teach us how to use it and the place it should have. He warns us not to live for money. It should never take priority over our relationships with God or others.

We don’t own anything because God owns it all

We are not owners, God is. We are only stewards of God’s resources.

We were designed for relationship with God so our purpose then, is to have an intimate, loving relationship with the living God. Once we truly love God first, only then are we able to fully love others as He wants us to.

So then, what is the purpose of money?

Money serves as a means to provide for our basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, and enjoyment). Sure, God could choose to provide for our basic needs by dropping food from the sky as He did for the Israelites, but that’s not the way He operates now.

Instead, He implemented a system by which we would work, produce, and need others to provide for the things of this world.

Money allows us to interact with others, work alongside them, and be in community and relationship.

Getting our hearts in the right place where money is concerned is a daily practice. Priorities need to be set or aligned daily, otherwise they can easily become out of place. The love of money will quickly overcome love of God and others.

1 Timothy 6:10 ESV

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

The Bible gives us the best financial advice there is. This helps us prioritize our time and energy, and recalibrates our hearts on a consistent basis.

Psalm 24:1 says,

Psalm 24:1 ESV

1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.

God is the Source, Provider and Creator, and He is the Owner and Investor who entrusts us with worldly wealth.

Understanding that God is the true owner of your money is the first principle of managing it well, and understanding what it means to be a good steward is second.

We are merely charged to take care of God’s possessions. Our role is to wisely manage and invest on God’s behalf all the wealth He gives us. This means we need to treat the money we handle—paychecks, gifts, inheritances… wisely, and use it to accomplish God’s purposes.

We must not forget that it’s not our money, it’s God’s money. Jesus illustrates this in a parable about talents or money. The master gave 3 servants responsibility over his estate and left them in charge of his money. One got 5, one got 3, and the other got 1.

Matthew 25:19–21 ESV

19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

What we have belongs to the Lord so be a good steward of the resources that God has given you.

Set up a Budget and Stick to it

The 10/10/80 Principle

10% Give

10% Save

80% Spend

Creating a budget is vital if we are going to be good stewards of the money that God has given us and the 10/10/80 principle is a good place to start when it comes to budgeting.

Giving also allows us to invest in eternity.

Giving recognizes our dependence on God.

One place that suffers most when we don’t trust God to meet our financial needs is our giving.

We must first Give our Tithe

The Tithe is not an act of generosity, it’s an act of obedience.

The tithe is not the max we should give it’s the Biblical standard for giving. However this may be something that is brand new to you. I don’t want to become legalistic on this issue because it can become a rule instead of a joy.

I want to challenge you to increase your giving.

Consider a “tithe challenge.” Increase your current tithing level by one percent. If you tithe 5% right now, the challenge is to trust God with one more percent and begin tithing 6%. If you haven’t stepped into the tithing practice at all yet, begin with 1%. Trust God to continue to meet your needs even though you have taken 1% and given it to His Church. If you are already at 10% or more, move past that by 1%.

The hardest challenge in giving isn’t moving from a certain percentage to one percent more, it is moving from nothing to something. Put it to the test. See if your trust in God with that extra percentage leads to hardship or to reward and blessing. Take this tithe challenge and watch God work.

Philippians 4:19 ESV

19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

The other way we can give is “free will offerings.”

Secondly, we can give our “free will offerings”

These offerings are in addition to our regular tithes, not in place of them. While a tithe is given out of obedience, the Bible also teaches about the importance of giving gifts for God’s work. The free will gift is to be given out of joy as a response to God’s goodness. These offerings are sometimes used for disaster relief or a special need in the church.

In Exodus 35:4, when Moses asked the Israelites to give an offering for the building of a tent for worship, the people gave so willingly that they had to be restrained! (See Exodus 36:6-7).

As Randy Alcorn says in Money Possession and Eternity,

“The tithe was never a ceiling for giving, only a floor. It was a beginning point. Beyond it, God’s children gave more, sometimes much more, as needs and opportunities arose. The tithe was a demonstration of obedience. Voluntary offerings were a demonstration of love, joy and worship.” Randy Alcorn

We can never out give God.

Luke 6:38 ESV

38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

TAKE AWAY

Knowing that our 100% is God’s, are we being good stewards of what God has given us?

Is your heart pursuing the right treasure?