This week at Saar Fellowship we are in 1 Corinthians 16 and we are talking about money and movement. Reading around this passage reminded me of this piece, written a couple of years ago in the build up to Easter:
There was a commonly-held but mistaken thought of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day that God would materially bless those He loved ¹. Therefore, they set out to ‘show how much God loved them’ by accumulating and acquiring as much wealth as possible i.e. the more money I have, the more God must love me, right?
Knowing this helps us understand Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:
“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
(vv.19-21, NET)
The truth is very applicable to you and to me now.
What we see as valuable shows us how spiritually healthy we are (Matthew 6.22-23) and we simply cannot be servant of both greedy gain and God (Matthew 6.24). Trusting God for our earthly provision, then, is the duty of every Bible-believing, Jesus-following Christian (Matthew 6.25-33).
Very simply then, where are we accumulating treasures?
The problem with earthly treasures is that, as Jesus says here, they can disintegrate and disappear through no fault of your own (or, perhaps, through a very definite fault of your own) (v.20). Hoarding, keeping, and accumulating wealth is, frankly, not a very Christian thing to do.
Yes, provide for your family.
Yes, enjoy the life that God has blessed you with.
But, never forget where it all comes from (James 1.17).
See where you are spending what the Lord has blessed you with.
Look around your home and see if you are [accumulating] for yourselves treasures on earth.
Take seriously your Christian command to not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, and take seriously the truth that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
¹ – Louis A. Barbieri Jr.
James Travis 