Treasures
Matthew 6:19 NLT
[19] “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.
When we are compelled by greed, we will ultimately be consumed by it.
Matthew 6:22-23 NLT
[22] “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. [23] But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
Accumulating a lot of stuff will not fix the hole in our lives.
Treasures Blind Us
Luke 12:15 NLT
[15] Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Greed is sneaky. We want to compare with those richer than us so we don't feel greedy.
Greed sounds like: "I earned it"
Greed and generosity have nothing to do with how much we have.
Envy purchasing - we see that we don't have as much as others.
If someone has less, we might assume that they are not as good with finances or don't work as hard.
"I need new shoes" "I need a new phone"
Our careers can be another form of greed. The allure of money can get you into a career you don't like.
We are blind to our money because we don't want to look at it. Our stuff gives us a false sense of freedom, but it's not freedom, it's ignorance.
Greed blinds us 3 ways
Blinded to God
1 Timothy 6:9-10 NLT
[9] But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Money is not a treasure to be had, it is a tool to be used. We are blessed to bless others.
God does not want you to put your hope in wealth. Riches do not have the security you are looking for.
Blinded to Community
James 4:1-2 NLT
[1] What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? [2] You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.
A greed mindset says "what can they get me"?
Proverbs 14:31 NLT
[31] Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors him.
Blinded to Ourselves
Treasures blind us to seeing ourselves as we are. We see ourselves not as part of creation, but as Gods.
Galatians 6:3 NLT
[3] If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
Matthew 6:19-20 NLT
[19] “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
Our treasures are so close to us that they block our view of heaven, like the moon eclipsing the sun.
Relocate your Treasures from Earth to Heaven
Do I have to repeatedly reorganize my garage?
Do I have stuff I haven't touched in over a year?
Do I have a drawer called a junk drawer
1 Timothy 6:7-8 NLT
[7] After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. [8] So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
Richard Foster 9 tips for simplicity
Do you know how many pictures you have on your phone? It's amazing how many moments we want to capture but how little we let moments capture us.
How much should we give? Enough that we feel it. Our giving should hamper something that we want to do, otherwise it is not really generous or from the heart.
Colossians 3:15 NLT
[15] And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Track Your Treasures to Find Your Master
Matthew 6:24 NLT
[24] “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
Money is a compass and it points to the thing I desire most.
Food and entertainment are not your treasures, feeling good is. Work and success are not your treasures, you desire power and control.
Matthew 6:21 NLT
[21] Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Jesus wants us to have the richest treasure. He is richer than everyone else. If you want status, he will make you a child of God. If you want security, the cost of his life secures you eternity. If you want comfort, his well will never run dry.
Matthew 13:44 NLT
[44] “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
Do you know that Jesus is all you need? Don't answer, look instead at your bank account statements. Where are you placing value?
Do you treasure Jesus?