My text for this Sunday evening’s 703 service is James 5:1-6. Ever read it? Whew! Those who hoard money (v 1), acquire wealth by dishonest means (v 4), live luxuriously (v 5) and oppress the righteous by lording it over them (v 6), come out very poorly.
The Apostle Paul is very clear in his instructions to young Timothy about money.
1. “We brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world.” (I Tim. 6:7). In other words, there are no U-Hauls behind hearses. You cannot take it with you.
2. “If we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” (I Tim. 6:8). Why? Because no matter which way the market goes, God is better than gold — always. I like the way the writer of Hebrews says it: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'” Hebrews 13:5
3. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (I Tim. 6:9) Quite simply, the desire to amass wealth is suicidal.
Don’t get me wrong. Making a lot of money is not the same as amassing a lot of wealth. Big income does not have to mean “bigger barns,” Luke 12:13ff. John Wesley said, “Make as much as you can and give as much as you can.”
I’ll tell you how to store up treasure in heaven that will not fail (Luke 12:33). Use it for others, not yourself. You invest your money in eternity by being rich in good deeds and by holding your money loosely.
To get a good read on where your heart is this week (Jesus says where your treasure is, there your heart will be also), check out two of the finest theological documents I know of — your checkbook and your VISA bill. I assure you, treasures always follow the heart.
The world constantly says that you are defined by what you have. God and His Word say you are infinitely valuable and worth exceedingly more than the sum of your parts.
Now don’t answer this quickly. I have a question I want you to think about for a while.
“Brothers, where are your treasures?”
donfollis.com 