DAY 11: What are you saving for?

Reading: Matthew 6: 19-24
‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ v21
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

 This is a passage that is unambiguously about money. What’s the
point of saving up everything and not using it? It is prudent to save,
to invest and to prepare for old age. The likelihood is that most of
us do not save enough. However, sometimes we gather so much to
ourselves that we have moved from basic needs to squandering things.
So here the words of Jesus are a challenge to our bank balance and
our investments.
Here are Jesus’ words about divided loyalties, for as Christians we
either serve God, with a single generous open-hearted manner, or we
serve ‘mammon’, a false god which corrupts our heart.

 Put simply, are we trusting God, or are we gathering things to prop us
up? Whatever we have set our hearts upon is our treasure. To put it
another way, whatever we have set our eye upon will betray where our
heart is. And when we have done that we see who we really serve.
It is not just loving God over and above money, but also building a
sense of daily dependence upon God that will help us to establish the
principles of generous living. The farmer was not wrong to gather his
produce into barns or even to plan for the future. It was only when he
ceased to recognise his dependence on God that things went wrong.

 For Further Reading: Psalm 73:25-26 - true contentment is found in God.
To Ponder: How are you ordering your finances for today and into the
future? What new priorities are you setting yourself for how you
handle worldly goods?
To Pray: Lord Jesus, help me to set priorities for daily living and to be
mindful of the need to save for the future. May I truly be
dependent upon you and wise in my saving. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DAY 29: How shall I earn my money?

Reading : Luke 16:1-14 ‘whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much’ v10 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ “‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundre
Read more

Introduction

Image
This is a five week set of Bible readings for your personal devotions. The theme is ‘generous God, generous people’, or more simply, our calling as stewards of all that God has given us. Each week tackles one aspect of the overall theme. Each day follows the same simple format of a reading, the main verse, a brief reflection followed by a response to consider, a passage for further study and a simple prayer.  You might want to have a notebook with you to record your own reflections and responses to the questions and actions.  The fives themes are:  Generous God  Generous people  Generous giving  Generosity towards others  Principles for generous people to live by . At the end of each week you might want to spend a little time reflecting on what you have learned.  Which themes or issues made a special impact on you?  What challenged you and perhaps made you uncomfortable?  What excited you?  What will you do as a result of this?  How does this affect your attitude t
Read more

DAY 25: Do not be hard-hearted or Tight fisted

Reading : Deuteronomy 15:7-11 ‘I command you to be openhanded towards your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.’ v11 If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. This passage com
Read more