Choosing Generosity Over Greed

Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
–Matthew 6:20-21

Ask yourself: “Is my focus on Jesus, or on money?” For many people, including Christians, the honest answer is money. What is the fix to a fixation on money? Jesus gave us the remedy for materialism in Matthew 6:19-21. He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He went on to say, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (v. 33). Jesus was saying the remedy for materialism is knowing and living your purpose. Living your purpose will help you choose generosity over greed.

Let me show you the connection between your purpose, materialism, and your affections toward God. First of all, you have to know your purpose. We have been talking about our purpose for the past two weeks, but Jesus said it again in verse 33: “Seek first His kingdom.” Our real purpose in life is seeking to expand God’s kingdom, rather than our own kingdom. When you understand that your purpose is to seek God’s kingdom, then that is where you will invest your resources. That is what Jesus was talking about in verse 20: “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Your purpose determines your investments. But notice what He said in verse 21: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Wherever you invest, your affections will naturally follow.

We had a building campaign at my previous church, and there was a man who wrestled about the amount of the money he was going to commit. Finally God told him an amount that was so large, he had not even considered it. But he made the investment. About a year later, when the steel was going up for the new sanctuary, the man stopped by my office one morning and said, “Pastor, every morning I used to get a cup of coffee, open the business section of the newspaper, and see how my stocks were doing, because that’s where my money was. Now every morning I get up, have a cup of coffee, drive down to the church and watch the construction project, because that is where my money is.”

Knowing your purpose helps you make the right investment choices, and once you have invested in God’s kingdom, your affections will naturally follow. If you want your affections to be centered on God rather than this world, then put your treasure in the kingdom of God.

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “These Boots Were Made For Walking” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

 

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