Where is your heart invested?

Most, if not all of the time, it is hard for us as human beings to realize that we live in a temporal world. Everything in this world will pass away, fade, and cease to exist, including ourselves.  With this idea in mind, it seems foolish when we think about some of the things that most of us invest our time and energy into.

We may invest an unhealthy amount of time into acquiring material possessions, our appearance,  accomplishments, negative emotions…the list goes on.

On Sunday, Pastor John read from Matthew 6:19-24, the passage which explains our earthly battle between heavenly treasures and material ones. We live in a world where money determines our physical well-being. As a basic necessity we need food, shelter, clothing, and of course money enables us to have these things. Money also allows us to enjoy life more extravagantly through vacations, expensive dinners, beautiful clothing, etc. In our world, money gives you a semblance of respect and acceptance. Having money can also buy you temporary friendship and “love.” You can see, therefore, how easy it would be for us to devote our lives to acquiring more money. We need to remember, however, that money only satisfies us temporarily.

Matthew 6:24 states that you cannot serve both God and money. You cannot serve two masters, Matthew claims, for you will hate one and love the other.

But isn’t it possible to work hard to make money, but still love God? Pastor John states that “perspective is everything.”

Before I had my first job, I had to ask my parents if I wanted anything. I would have daydreams about being able to work hard to earn money and then buy what I want. Oftentimes, I would flip through teen magazines, and imagine owning the things displayed on the glossy pages. I would be able to wear nice clothes, buy makeup, buy the music that I wanted to listen to.  I would be lost and consumed in the thought of being able to buy what I wanted, look the way I wanted.

One important thing I failed to ask myself was if my spending would bring glory to God.  I also never thought about giving my earnings to God. Interesting how it never excited me to think that my earnings could go towards expanding God’s kingdom.

The reason I never thought of any of these things was because my viewpoint was a very basic, earthly one. I was thinking all about storing up for myself treasures on earth. My heart was invested in the way I wanted to look, the way I wanted to be seen by others, the earthly possessions I could enjoy and how I could satisfy my senses. It was all about me.

Matthew 6:21 “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

Where is your heart invested? Are you in servitude to money? What are your commitments? What is your attitude towards buying, giving, and saving? What is your attitude toward morality? What are your dreams? Pastor John posed these questions to us during the sermon.  

Is your heart invested in God? If your heart is invested in God and seeking his kingdom by following his word, then your money will be used to glorify God as well. For instance, you will follow the way of giving your first fruits to God rather than the leftovers. In other words, you will tithe when you first receive your income rather than once you’ve bought all the things you want/need. Do you let money dictate your life? We have to adopt an attitude of trusting God despite our financial problems or financial abundance. Pastor John gave the example of retired couples who are swimming in piles of money and claim that they have so much money that they don’t know what to do with it. Pastor John quickly suggested to them that they can give their money to God, and invest it in spiritual causes.

The act of hoarding money is another way that people can store up treasures on earth. Moreover, if you forgo making ethically and morally sound decisions only because you wish to conserve your money, then it’s clear that money is your god.

What really resounded with me at the end of the sermon was the idea of faith in God as a hobby or a lifestyle. Faith in God is intended to be our livelihood not something that we turn to when it’s convenient for us or when we have time.

All in all, money is HUGE and it is extremely consuming. One way that we can practice discipline towards God is by trusting him with our money whether we make a lot of it or very little.