Money, possessions is a hot and dangerous subject in the church sometimes.
! It ought not to be though, but just a disclaimer,
I'm just going to be faithful to read the Word and try to expound on what it says.
If something is my opinion, I'll make it clear that it's my opinion.
And if you have a problem, I guess, with what the Word says,
like if you're going to throw something at me, you're going to hit Jesus.
I'm just going to try to do my best just to say what the Word says.
And let it fall.
Because it's really tempting on this particular topic just to give you a bunch of rules and laws.
Like, give this much, go and do this.
And I don't think that that's the goal of what Jesus is aiming at.
But I'm still learning, I'm still wrestling with this topic.
Feel free to continue to do that.
So I have three points for you as we walk through Matthew 6.
Let's read the text together.
Matthew 6, verse 19.
Jesus says,
If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?
No one can serve two masters.
For either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and money.
Just join me in a quick word of prayer.
Father, we just offer up this time to you again.
Just work in through me, Lord, if you would be pleased.
Help us to see the meaning of what you have inspired here in your holy word.
And help us by your spirit, Lord, to apply this to our hearts.
Give us eyes to see and ears to hear.
In Christ's name, amen.
Amen.
So point number one.
Point number one.
Walking through this text.
And it just comes right out of the text.
But very clearly, point number one.
There are two kinds of treasures.
He said,
Do not lay for yourselves treasures on the earth where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal.
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
So really quickly, without like over-defining this word,
the word treasure just simply means what you love, what you treasure,
what you value, what you cherish.
Right?
That's what you treasure.
It's what your heart takes delight in.
It's what gets you out of bed every morning
and keeps you going throughout the day.
Our English word, worship,
is connected to this idea of what we hold to be the most worthy thing.
We worship what we have the greatest focus on as our worth.
The worth or value of something.
And everyone has a treasure.
Now notice that Jesus says,
We shouldn't have a treasure.
He doesn't say that.
He just says,
Be careful to choose wisely what that treasure is.
Okay?
So he doesn't forbid treasure.
He just wants us to be careful at what we choose to make our treasure.
And so the first kind of treasure that he mentions here is earthly.
Right there in verse 24,
he refers to treasures in verse 24 as mammon.
Okay?
That's just a Semitic word for money or material possessions.
It's what's in your bank and your wallet and your purse
and what's all the stuff that you've accumulated.
But today in America,
I think I can say this with a great deal of confidence.
I'm not, you know, I don't know everything.
But as a history guy,
I can tell you that we live in one of the wealthiest, affluent,
prosperous countries in the history of the world.
It's just true.
Even if you're a college student,
you have more money than most of the rest of the world does.
I think you're in the top 1 or 2% of the wealthiest people,
which is shocking to us, right?
But in America,
money, possessions, wealth, comforts, luxuries
are what we have in our civilization all around us.
In short, though,
earthly treasures are what are seen
and what are temporal.
Okay?
An earthly treasure is what we can see
and what is temporal,
something that's actually not going to last forever.
The second treasure,
very clearly, just right out of the text,
is a heavenly treasure, right?
So, heavenly treasure is not just
a heavenly version of mammon.
It's not big houses or riches or toys or stuff
to play around with when we get to heaven.
No.
The Scripture reveals
that heaven will have something
far greater than all these things.
Scripture clearly teaches us
that the treasure of heaven
is the king of heaven.
It's not the stuff that we get to do in heaven,
the toys that we get to play with.
It is, heaven is synonymous
with the presence of God.
All right?
So, when we talk about the gospel,
we're not talking about just getting people
to not go to hell
and go to heaven.
We're talking about saving people
unto God,
unto His presence.
He is the king of heaven.
Psalm 16.
Many of you know this.
You make known to me the path of life
and in your presence
there is fullness of joy.
And at your right hand
there are pleasures forevermore.
This is why Paul could say,
after considering everything he's done,
everything he's had,
he says,
I can count all things lost
in comparison to knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord.
Right out of Revelation 21,
verse 3,
towards the end,
when the new heaven
and the new earth have come,
you want to get a glimpse of heaven,
this is it.
John says,
I heard a loud voice
from the throne saying,
Behold,
the dwelling place
of God
is with man.
Right?
Remember this?
He will dwell with them
and they will be His people
and God Himself
will be with them
as their God.
This is a picture of it.
It's a picture of
presence and fellowship
with God forever.
And remember,
Jesus prayed
in John 17,
praying to the Father.
He mentions this.
This is eternal life.
Okay,
so what is eternal life?
Right?
It's not just living forever
and not dying.
It's more than that.
Jesus says,
eternal life
is that they know you,
the only true God
and Jesus Christ
whom you have sent.
Shortly after that,
in verse 24,
He prays,
Father,
I desire
that they whom you've given me
may be with me
where I am
so that they may
see my glory
that you have given me
because you love me
before the foundation
of the world.
So all these images
of heaven
that we have
throughout Scripture
are more about
the fall
being restored
and regaining
what was lost
because of sin
and being in God's presence
forever.
A period of many years ago,
it might be attributed
to Richard Baxter
possibly,
but I've always
really loved this quote.
He says,
a believer's life
is very different
from an unbeliever's life.
So also,
a believer's death
is also very different
from an unbeliever's death.
The believer
prefers
heaven to hell.
Excuse me.
The unbeliever
prefers heaven to hell.
The believer
prefers heaven
over earth.
See that?
The believer desires
heaven above earth.
The unbeliever
prefers heaven
only over hell
because he cannot
imagine anything
more blessed
than this life.
But,
the believer
prefers heaven
over earth
because the believer
cannot imagine
anything
more blessed
than life
with God.
And that's it.
Though heaven
there has many blessings
to be in God's presence
forever
is the greatest
thing
possible.
So,
Jesus means
to devote your life
to accumulating
treasures
that are in heaven
and not
on the earth.
Alright?
So,
Scripture
gives much attention
to the teachings
on money
and possessions.
Much.
just looking
at the Gospels
alone,
it's said
that nearly
15%
of everything
that Jesus
said
connected
to this topic.
He used money
in some way
more than even
teaching on
heaven and hell
combined.
So,
interesting enough
though,
tithing,
which is the
Old Testament
maximum,
or should I say
minimum,
of your income,
Jesus only refers
to it one time
and that's it.
And this is what
he says,
you tithe
even your spices,
he said to the
Pharisees,
that's right,
you should,
but you have
neglected the
weightier matters
of the law,
justice and mercy
and faithfulness.
So,
in other words,
you're just doing
what's required
of you
and nothing more.
You're not really
getting at the
heart of the law.
And so,
I have another
thought or opinion
on the tithe,
but I always,
just really quickly,
I say,
it's a good
starting point
for giving,
but not a law
that translates
into the new
covenant,
I would say.
Come talk to me
later.
So,
our hearts
and our treasures.
Why does the
Bible talk so much
about money
and possessions?
Like,
why?
Jesus gives us
an answer.
He just says,
from where your
treasure is,
there your heart
will be also.
It talks about it
a lot because
there's a real
fundamental connection
between our
spiritual lives
and what we think
and how we use
our money.
It's just there.
It just reveals
where we are.
Jesus says,
your desires
show you
what you love
and you treasure
and you worship.
Your desires
reveal that.
So,
what you treasure
will show you
who your God is.
who you ultimately
treasure
will show you
who your God is.
Many years ago,
many years ago,
when I was in college,
myself,
Nathan,
and Wes Shelnut
would drive down
and we would hear
Louis Giglio preach.
Not a perfect guy,
but I appreciate
what I've learned
from him over the years.
But,
he says,
how do you find out
what you worship?
How can you know
what you worship?
He says,
you simply follow
the trail of your time,
your affection,
your money,
and your loyalty.
At the end of that trail,
you will find a throne.
And whatever
or whomever
is on that throne
is what is the highest value
to you.
Okay?
So,
you follow that trail
wherever it is.
That's where it leads,
right?
So,
what does the issue
of money and possessions,
why does it make us
so uncomfortable,
right?
Well,
evidently,
it just reveals
how we live.
What's on that throne
of our lives?
Do we live with a view
of the goal of life
as just to accumulate things?
Or,
do we accumulate things
that will have
an eternal value
one day?
Jesus says,
right,
that a mark
of a true believer
means that his eyes
are on heaven.
they're on the eternal,
in the unseen,
not the temporal.
He also says here
clearly
in our text
in verse 24
that there's no middle ground.
Because some people
want to be able
to say,
can't we store up
treasures in both places?
Is that an option?
Can we like have
a lot here
and then a lot there?
And,
I hate to disappoint
myself and you,
but Jesus says no.
I mean,
you can have
some treasures
here on the earth
and store up
some treasures
in heaven,
right?
But,
clearly,
he says,
no one can serve
two masters.
For one will either
hate the one
and love the other,
or,
he will be devoted
to one
and despise the other.
Then,
he gives us the answer.
You cannot
serve God
and money,
right?
And,
he uses the word,
the servant here idea
is this word
of a slave.
Not an employee,
right?
But a slave.
A slave's soul
is the sole property
of one master,
okay?
And his service
is exclusively
for that one master.
So,
either you will be
mastered by money,
ignore God,
and seek to make him
a servant of your
earthly kingdom,
or,
you'll be mastered
by the living God
and make money
a servant of his kingdom.
It's not,
you can't have it
both ways.
This is why Jesus said
it's hard for a rich man
to enter the kingdom
of heaven.
It's very hard.
Okay?
And so,
in this culture,
though,
it was wrongly taught
that if you were poor,
or you didn't have a lot,
then somehow you weren't
really as pleasing to God.
But if you had
a lot of wealth
and a lot of affluence,
that's why the religious
leaders just thought
that they were A-OK
with God,
it meant, like,
God's blessing you.
Look at your life.
Like,
how could he not be
happy with how you live?
Spurgeon once wisely said,
if earthly goods
were of much value,
the Lord would not give
so large a measure of it
to those who have
the least of his love.
Very heavy.
If earthly goods
were of much value,
the Lord would not give
such a large measure of it
to those who have
the least of his love.
So it's not a good indication
of whether or not
you're living a life
pleasing to God or not.
Right?
Then he goes down
and he mentions the eye
being the lamp
of the body.
The eye is similar
to the heart.
It reveals the qualities
of someone's inner life.
Right?
A healthy eye
or a clear vision
suggests loyalty
and devotion to God.
While a bad eye
or like an impaired vision
means sinful corruption.
So which treasure
are you seeking?
Which one am I seeking?
Which will master you?
It will be evident
in your life.
Our lives show these things.
In Matthew 5, 22 there,
he says,
the eye is the lamp
of the body.
If it's healthy,
your whole body
will be full of light.
But if your eye is bad,
your whole body
will be full of darkness.
If then the light
is in you as darkness,
how great is that darkness?
So,
this gets on to point number two.
So there's the admonition.
There's two treasures.
An earthly one
and a heavenly one.
Point number two.
Don't
set your heart
on things
that won't last.
Don't set your heart
on things
that won't last.
Right out of verse 19.
Do not lay up
for yourselves
treasures
on this earth
where moth
and rust
destroy
and where thieves
break in
and steal.
So,
Jesus is warning us
against making
these things
that are temporal
and seen
to be the ultimate things.
To be our ultimate treasure.
Don't spend your life,
your life,
your goal,
the focus of your life
just set on storing up
money and material possessions
because they will rot.
They won't last.
You can't take it with you.
Nothing will be taken with you.
Nothing goes on
to this next life
that is from this world.
It will all stay here.
You'll find
no U-Hauls behind
somebody may know that.
No U-Hauls behind the hearse.
Right?
Proverbs 23 verse 4.
Do not toil
to acquire wealth.
When your eyes light on it,
it is gone
for it has suddenly
sprout swings,
flying like an eagle
toward heaven.
So,
in this life,
money will just disappear.
Scripture never says,
again,
that money in and of itself
is evil.
So,
don't hear that.
Scripture very clearly says
the love of money
is the root of all evil.
Money is just a tool.
But sadly,
our sinful hearts
use it
to attain
our idols,
use it to obtain
things that we
pursue
inordinately.
So,
Paul says,
money isn't evil,
but we have to be
very,
very careful
and cautious
dealing with it.
Because it's a powerful
thing that can
master us.
I'm trying to limit
the number of times
you have to turn
for sake of time,
but turn,
hold your hand there,
but turn to 1 Timothy
chapter 6
really quickly.
1 Timothy
chapter 6
and go to
verse 6.
1 Timothy
chapter 6
verse 6.
Paul writing to
his apprentice
Timothy.
He says,
but godliness
with contentment
is great gain.
Here it is.
For we brought
nothing into the world
and we cannot
take anything
out of the world.
but if we have
food and clothing,
with these
we will be content.
But those
who desire
to be rich
fall into temptation,
into a snare,
into many senseless
and harmful desires
that plunge people
into ruin
and destruction.
For the love
of money
is the root
of all kinds
of evil.
It is through
this craving
that some
have wandered
away from the faith
and pierced
themselves
with many
pangs.
So in short,
if you are
pursuing an
earthly treasure,
it will be
a diminishing
return.
So stop
thinking that
mere accumulation
of money
and material
junk is going
to satisfy.
It won't.
And most of us
who have lived
longer,
we know that.
We're like,
it never ever
delivers on
what it promises.
Ever.
No matter what it is.
Whether it's money
or any kind
of possession,
I once dug up
a list of things
that I wanted
to obtain
when I was
in high school.
I was working
a job
and getting paid
$8.50 an hour,
which was huge
back then.
And I thought,
man, I want this,
I want that,
I want that.
And I'm pretty sure
I attained all those
things,
and man,
it did not bring me
the satisfaction
I thought it would.
And so,
we need to beware
of making all
the junk and toys
of this temporal
life our treasure.
They are not.
Scripture,
and I'm pretty sure
history just teaches,
there is no positive
correlation at all
whatsoever between
joy and material things.
None, right?
It's foolish
and it's damning.
That's what Jesus
says here.
He says,
in another part,
it's easier for a camel
to go through
the eye of a needle
than it is for a rich man
to enter the kingdom
of heaven.
Why does he say that?
Because a rich man
is tempted to focus
on the gift
and forget the giver.
The rich man
is tempted to find
some security
or some kind of
fickled happiness
in his riches.
There is nothing there,
no positive correlation
at all.
I think if
one text lands on us,
lands on me,
I'm including myself,
I think it would be
Luke chapter 12
where Jesus
very clearly teaches
on this.
I think this is just
such a picture
of the way we are
in the West.
And it's been this way
for a long time.
Luke 12 verse 13,
if you want to turn there.
Someone in the crowd
said to him,
Teacher,
tell my brother
to divide the inheritance
with me.
But he says,
man, who made me
a judge
arduber over you?
He said to them,
take care
and guard yourself
against all forms
of covetousness.
And here's this phrase,
listen,
for one's life
does not consist
in the abundance
of his possessions.
And he told them
a parable saying,
the land of a rich man
produced plentifully.
And he thought to himself,
what shall I do
for I have nowhere
to store up my crops?
And he says,
I'll do this.
I will tear down my barns,
build larger ones,
and there I will store
all my grain
and my goods.
And I will say
to my soul,
soul,
you have ample goods
laid up for many years.
Relax,
eat,
drink,
be merry.
This kind of sounds
like what we do
in the West,
isn't it?
But God said to him,
fool,
this night
your soul
is required of you
and the things
you have prepared,
whose will they be?
And then he wraps it up.
Jesus says,
so it is
the one who lays up
treasures for himself
and is not rich
toward God.
Very hard.
Very convicting.
I'll skip this part
for the sake of time,
I think,
but in Ecclesiastes
chapter 5
verses 10 through 15,
this is where
we believe that Solomon
more than likely
was Solomon,
is reflecting on
money
because he had
a ton of it
and he basically says
it's vanity.
It doesn't satisfy.
It never is enough.
It only seems to take life
more than anything.
So,
this just jumps
to point number 3.
Point number 3
is set your heart
on things
that will last forever.
Set your heart
on things
that will last forever.
That's in verse 20.
Jesus says,
lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven
where neither moth
nor rust destroys
and where thieves
do not break in
and steal.
So,
the treasure in heaven
will not rot
and will not rust
and no one can steal it.
So,
we,
as believers,
those who have been
reconciled to Christ,
reconciled to God
through Christ
who belonged to Him,
we can make
spiritual deposits
for life
in eternity.
in Colossians chapter 3,
Paul says,
if you have been
raised with Christ,
seek the things
that are above
where Christ is,
seated at the right hand
of God.
Set your minds
on things
that are above,
not on things
on the earth.
For you have died
and your life
is hidden
in Christ Jesus.
Right?
So,
that's a command,
right?
It's not like,
maybe,
I'm going to encourage you to.
It's a command.
Seek the things
that are above.
Set your minds
on the things
that are above
and not on the earth.
So,
what is the remedy,
then,
for what we would say
is greed
or hoarding?
The remedy
is giving.
That's God's remedy
to keep that idol
in check,
to keep our money
from overcoming us.
We're to distribute
and not accumulate.
Jesus says,
possessions on earth
are not for accumulating
but for distributing
in ways
that honor Christ.
Right?
And that increase
our joy
that are in heaven.
So,
the remedy
for hoarding
is giving.
Proverbs 22,
verse 9,
He who is generous
will be blessed.
Acts 20,
35,
it is more blessed
to give
than to receive.
So,
God,
I'm trying to remember
who I once heard this from
but it doesn't matter.
God blesses us
with money
and possessions
so that we might
use them
in a way
that shows
they are not
our treasure
but God is.
Okay?
to make
intentional
decisions
that show
that Christ
is our treasure.
Jesus says
in Luke 12,
33,
Sell your possessions,
give to the needy,
provide for yourselves
with money bags
that do not grow old
with a treasure
that is in heaven
that does not fail
where no thief
approaches
and no moth destroys
for where your treasure
is that your heart
will be also.
So,
I want you to think
about where your
true home is.
Okay?
My wife and I
just moved into
a new house.
Where is
your true home?
Often,
our single
greatest deterrent
to giving
and living more
simply
is this illusion
that this world
is our home.
You're full,
you're fickled.
That's what causes us
to think that.
Where we choose
to store up
our treasures
depend largely
on where we see
our home.
The believer,
the child of God,
heaven is our home.
Scripture says
that we are pilgrims,
strangers,
aliens.
We're not settlers.
Alright?
That's Hebrews 11, 13.
We're ambassadors
representing
our true country
and our true king.
2 Corinthians 5.
Philippians 3.
Our citizenship
is in heaven.
We are citizens
of a better country,
a heavenly one.
Hebrews 11, 16.
So I'll try to
give you this analogy
without taking up
too much time.
Let's say
that someone
from England
moved over here
for a job.
And in that job description
they said
you can make
a ton of money
in this job.
Alright?
But you're only
going to be here
for an indefinite
amount of time.
We don't know
how long
this job
is going to take
so there's uncertainty.
And you're going
to make a ton
of money here
but just keep
this in mind.
Whatever you spend
here stays here.
You can't take
any material stuff
back to England
with you at all.
So,
but you can
wire your money
back to England.
Right?
You see the difference there?
So if that was true
you probably would
just like
live in somewhere
that didn't cost
too much money.
You would just keep
you would just spend
your money on the
bare necessity
and you would send
a ton of money back.
Right?
Because you can't
take anything with you.
You can't take
anything back overseas
when you leave.
And very similar
we do not know
how long
we are going to be
on this earth.
We don't know.
But we can
store up treasures
that are in heaven.
We can push that
forward.
Right?
It would be foolish
to spend so much
of it here.
It would be foolish.
So don't spend
too much time
and money
and energy
on all the things
of this world.
Hebrews 13
keep your life
free from the love
of money
and be content
with what you have.
For he has said
to us
I will never
leave you
or forsake you.
That is Jesus
speaking to us.
So the best thing
I can do
I think
is to give you
some examples
of what this
looks like.
It is better
to give you
pictures of it
than to give you
a bunch of
rules and regulations.
And these
have challenged
me
over the years.
I will give you
one from history
and then
a present day
a couple
present day
examples.
Okay?
In Cairo,
Egypt
there is
an exhibit
of King Tut
in the Egyptian
National Museum.
He was known
as the
Boy King.
He died
when he was
17.
He was buried
with a solid
gold chariots,
thousands of
golden artifacts,
tons of gold,
and a coffin
that was made
with gold.
And so
it was uncovered
nearly 3,000 years
or from 3,000
years ago
in 1922.
He had all that
gold but he was
just lying there
a corpse.
Right?
Untouched
for 3,000 years.
All this
treasure
just sitting
there in his
tomb
that he clearly
took none of it
with him
wherever he went.
But if you
walk down
a dusty
back street
of Cairo,
same city,
there's a tiny
insignificant
cemetery
of American
missionaries
that were
there.
one tombstone
reads William
Borden,
1887
to 1913.
Borden
was heir
to great wealth
and privilege
here in America.
But he gave
it all up.
He gave
tons of his
money to
reaching Muslims
abroad.
And then
finally he
himself went.
Borden
gave so much
of his wealth
and prosperity.
But only after
coming into
Egypt for
four months
he died.
He contracted
spinal meningitis
and died
at the age
of 25.
But listen
to this.
On his
epitaph,
right,
on his
tombstone,
describes his
love for God
and the Muslim
people.
It says
on this,
apart from
faith in
Christ,
there is no
explanation
for such a
life.
Apart
from faith
in Christ,
Christ,
there is no
explanation
for such
a life.
So you have
this Egyptian
king who
took none
of his
goal with
him and
you have
this American
missionary who
died very
young and
they just
said,
like,
this doesn't
make sense.
Apart
from,
like,
the work
of God,
this doesn't
make sense
why he
would do
what he
did.
One other
example,
I think I
have time
for maybe
two and
I'll quit.
I have
a really
good friend,
friends,
I should
say,
that live
up in
Hiawassee,
Jason and
Lorenda.
They went
to North
Georgia back
in the
90s.
He was
in the
Corps.
I think
she was
in KD.
Funny
enough,
those existed
in the
90s.
And he
is a
dentist up
in
Hiawassee.
I've known
him for
probably
about 20
years.
And this
guy,
like,
loves the
Lord.
Really
loves the
Lord.
Lord,
he's,
but when
I first
met him,
he definitely
was all
about accumulating
money for
the here
and now.
He had,
I think,
three different
homes,
a lake
house,
a family
farm,
and some
other stuff,
and a
bunch of
other toys
and gadgets,
boats,
cars.
And I
really
believe that
it was
just more
of a result
of just
not having
good teaching
on money.
Nothing
to do
with,
like,
his lover
of God.
So,
I actually
will recommend
a book
to you.
A small
book,
for those
who don't
want to
read a lot,
but it's
called The
Treasure
Principle
by Randy
Alcorn.
The Treasure
Principle.
So,
I actually
just kind
of slipped
Jason a
copy of
that book
and just
let him
read it,
and he
came back
and he
was like,
dude,
that book
just rocked
my world.
And the
result was
he sold
two of the
places that
he owned.
He sold
a lot,
I think he
had four
vehicles,
he ended
up selling
like most
of them.
And he
basically
folded it
all back
into living
on the
family farm.
And today
he gives
tons of
money to
missions,
tons of
money to
people that
are just
advancing the
cause and
unreached
peoples.
And he
and his
wife both
have gone
on medical
missions to
do things.
And he
doesn't want
any kind
of glory or
attention for
it, but he's
just one of
those guys
who, when
he knows
what the
command of
God is, he
prays for the
grace to do
it, and
then he
does it.
And again,
apart from
faith in
Christ, there's
no explanation
for such a
life.
He's like, I
just want to
store up
treasures in
heaven.
I do not
want people
to look at
my life and
be like, wow,
he is all
about the
here and
now.
And finally,
I have
another friend,
one of my
mom's really
good friends.
Her name is
Mary.
She grew up
watching me and
my brother
grew up, my
parents are
really good
friends of
her and her
husband.
But sadly,
her husband was
not a believer
and ended up
passing away and
leaving a great
deal of money
to Mary.
And now she
has all these
resources at
her hand.
And every
day she
just prays
like, God,
how would
you have
me use
this money?
How?
And I'm
one of the
beneficiaries.
I raise
support in
addition to
receiving some
income here.
And I
asked her to
write something
in relationship
to this.
And this is
what she
said.
She said,
I know
that my
financial
resources are
a gift from
God.
God, when
our finances
exceed our
normal living
needs, then
God allows us
to help others
as he brings
their needs to
our attention.
I am
privileged to
experience someone
giving me a
gift, and if it
made such a huge
difference.
It was the
difference in my
going forward or
my not knowing
if forward was
possible.
through another
person, I saw
God's provision.
When we are
able to give to
others, it is a
privilege.
We are then
connected to
God's miracle in
someone else's
life.
We give, we
receive much
more than we
ever could
imagine.
And this is
how God
works.
It is one of
his fundamental
principles.
Believe it.
Giving is a
privilege.
church.
And so, I'm
really hoping
that you're
catching on to
some of these
very clear
principles that
are in
Scripture.
That you will
run your
decision making
with your
money and your
finances and
your stuff
through these
principles.
And there are
many great
things to give
to.
The church is
one.
We could
definitely use
more here.
I would say
start here and
then move
outwards.
right?
Let's just join
together in
prayer and just
ask God to do
a work in our
hearts.