I like the concept of idols when it comes to
seeing what is wrong with the human heart.
An idol is not necessarily something carved out of wood or stone, but
something that we look to for our security and significance. Money, and the stuff money can buy, is one
very popular idol. Jesus teaches us that
we cannot live for both God and money.
Investing in heaven makes sense (19-21)
How much is enough? The rich person replies, ‘just a little
more’. Wealth has a way of leaving us
unsatisfied. It also has a way of
disappearing. The minute you drive that
new car out of the garage it has depreciated.
Inflation means that your money is worth less every year. Shares crash.
Property bubbles burst. Scam
artists steal. Even if all of your
invests go well, you are going to have to leave it all behind you when you die!
But there is an investment with a magnificent
return. It is in the Bank of Heaven. How we live now affects the joy that we will
experience in the life to come.
Everything we do for God has eternal significance. Even the smallest thing done in Jesus’s name,
like giving someone a cup of water, will never lose its reward.
Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also
(21). People often play the short
game—living without reference to God and thinking that the stuff of this world
is as good as it gets. But there is a
long game—to enjoy God now and for all eternity.
Investing is based on how we see the world (22-23)
Our attitude towards wealth is about how we see
the world. If your eye is healthy (or ‘clear’ or ‘generous’) your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad (or
‘evil’) your whole body will be full of
darkness.
If our sight has been caught by the beauty of
Jesus, and what He has done for us through His death and resurrection, it will
show itself in how we use our money. If
His love is pouring into us, it will generously flow out of us. As the hymn says, ‘turn your eyes upon
Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face,
and the things of the world will go strangely dim, in the light of His glory
and grace.’
But, if our joy comes primarily through what we
can purchase; if our security is based on trusting our bank account to provide
rather than trusting our God to provide; and, if we are we demand that the
world sees us as a success, then it is doubtful that we know God at all.
We have to choose how we invest
No one can serve two masters, for he will either hate one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. Your money wants to master you. It wants you to live for it. Like all idols it promises security and
significance. Like all idols it fails to
deliver. It will make you a slave if you
let it. You need to sit down with all of
your stuff and be firm. You need to say
to it, ‘Thank you for coming today.
Listen, I just want you to make sure that the rules are clear. You shall serve me, not I you. And I serve God!’ (Adapted from O’Donnell).
A pastor warned his son that you cannot serve
both God and money. The son replied,
‘but you can serve God with money’. That
is so true. In one of his most
interesting statements Jesus says, ‘I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain
friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into
eternal dwellings’ (Luke 16:9). Imagine
if the generosity you showed to someone in Christ’s name touched them so deeply
that they allowed His love to master them.
Think how the money spent on missions enables people to hear the
gospel. Imagine you arrive into heaven
and one of the people you meet says to you, ‘I am here because of how you
gave.’ That would be a treasure in
heaven! That would be a good investment!
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