Matthew 6:21, 24
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. NLT
Dear saints, here the Lord Jesus teaches very important principles that many Christians miss nowadays. Let us all take serious note. Firstly, there is a relationship between your heart and your treasure (money). Your heart goes where your money goes. The destination of your financial investment determines the focus of your heart (that is your desires, interests and focus).
So if you want your heart to be in God, you can’t leave your money out. If you’re going to heaven (as I’m sure every true Christian is), you’ll also invest in heaven. You cannot say you love God and totally withhold your money from what matters to Him.
For instance, Jesus says He is personally building the Church (Matthew 16:18). That means the Church is one of our Lord’s top priorities. So when we contribute to the Church, we’re directly supporting Jesus’ mission. When we don’t, we are neglecting Jesus’ priority.
Therefore, whenever you give in the house of God, you are demonstrating where your heart is. You’re not just paying lip service to God. Your worship is not empty words. Our giving confirms the genuineness of our relationship with God.
Another principle is that money has the capacity to enslave anyone. Money makes a wonderful servant but a terrible master. The only way to ensure that money doesn’t become your idol and master is to always give a portion of it to God. That’s the only cure I know.
Another crucial principle from today’s Scripture is that if you and I intend to eventually “retire” to our heavenly home, surely it makes sense to invest there in advance! Please remember that our earthly life is extremely short. So we must use it to prepare for our eternal life. One of the best ways to do that is to invest in heaven today. God will multiply whatever we give Him. Heaven is the best investment bank in the whole universe! But we have to deposit something there-regularly, faithfully and cheerfully. Will you?
Pastor Josh