Today I want to talk to you about a sensitive subject… our bank accounts. We all have money put back to some degree, most likely. It may be very little, or it may be a lot, but we are all sensitive when it comes to our money. We care for it carefully, don’t we? We want to make sure it is there for us when we need it. And if we are raising a family, we may be even more careful to make sure we have plenty stored away just in case.
In today’s passage, Jesus talks about our money. Read our text in Matt 6:19-24. Please bear in mind that we are not going to say it is not important to put aside a little something for your family just in case. But what our Lord is addressing here, really, is our priorities. He begins by talking about worldly treasures, money, put aside for the future. Even when we have this money set aside, it is at risk. It can be lost, damaged, or stolen. He warns us against getting caught up investing our hearts and souls into the money we have accumulated. It is easy to do.
Jesus recommends that we store up treasure in Heaven instead. How do we do this? Let’s look first at the advice in Heb 13:5. Here, the Apostle Paul tells us that we are to keep our lives free from the love of money. Notice, it is not the money itself he is warning us against. It is the love of money. People who love money have been known to do some very inappropriate things to gain more. Earning money to support your family and being willing to do almost anything for money are two different things and we must be careful to keep our actions right before God.
In James 5:1-5, the Bible talks about the hoarding of money. This passage is a warning against those who have the most and hoard it. It is a condemnation against those who have the wealth yet do not even pay the fair wages they owe. Not only do they not help the poor, but their riches are worthless when it comes to their salvation.
Another thing we must remember when it comes to our money is that some things God gives to us so that we can share with others. I find that the things I receive from God are often the things I find myself being led to share with others. I also find that having excess in my life is usually tied to the things I am willing to give to God. I personally believe that God trusts more to those to whom He can trust to use those things for His purposes. He gives to us so that we can give to others.
In Matt 19:13-30, Jesus tells the story of the rich man and the kingdom of God. Read this story now. Jesus tells the man that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is teaching the dangers of loving money more than God. It is dangerously easy to love our money so much that we are unable to put God first. Do not let your money become more important than your God.
1 Tim 6:17-19 gives instructions to those in the church who are wealthy. God is teaching us here how to prioritize the things in our life correctly, putting the things of God ahead of our treasure. God allows us to have a certain amount of things in this life, but He wants us to be willing to share them in God’s work gladly and willing that we may be part of what He is doing. It is His will for us and by sharing in His work financially, we are laying up treasure in Heaven. God’s Word teaches us how important this is in our lives.
Do not think that God does not want us to be responsible. We must take care of ourselves and our families. But He does not want us to worry excessively about our finances. He is able to meet our needs.
Verses 22-23 of our text today focus on our eyes. Jesus says that they are the lamp of the whole body. Your eyes focus on what is important to you. And if they do not focus on the light of God’s work, your body and your life will not be headed in that direction. In verse 24, Jesus says that you cannot serve two masters. He is addressing both God and money as masters to which we can become slaves and saying that we must decide which master we will serve. We cannot put both first in our lives.
Responding to God: Thank God for all His good gifts. Thank Him for meeting your needs. Thank Him for opportunities to share with others and ask Him to show you what He would have you to do in this area. Ask Him to show you how much He would have you to support His work in your local church.
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