The Theology of Wealth

Family, would you bow your heads in prayer with me.

Holy God, we come before You knowing that we are needy, hoping that everyone in this room that we know our need for Christ.  We ask that right now, Lord, You would speak to us and in Your kindness You would speak through me, and Lord, You would teach us about wealth.  You would allow our hearts to be cut to the quick.  Give us humility to repent.  Give us a passion to want to make You known.  We ask that this covenant community truly that we would exalt You well.  We pray this in Jesus’ name.  Amen.   

We are finishing our series on 1 Timothy, the first book, the end of the first book.  The two epistles to Timothy you have and you have Titus.  These are gathered together as what they call the pastoral epistles.  I know we’ve talked about that in the past, but I just want to remind us they belong to a period at the close of Paul’s life and provide a valuable concept, many valuable pieces of information about his thoughts and how he wants to prepare Timothy to pass on the task to others.  This letter is designed to supply Paul’s associate Timothy with exhortations, with encouragements, for both the present responsibilities that he had and also the future responsibilities.  He’s communicating to Timothy what should be as it were a template in continuing to build and develop the people of God. 

So we are here and as a family I just want to ask you guys to remember in this text that I am only the messenger.  All right? This word, I feel like it’s hitting me throughout the week.  It’s been doing a work on me.  It just disrupts our comfort.  The reality is when you get older, when you’re 20 you don’t think about this, I don’t even think you think about this when you’re 30, but I’ll be 50 soon, I’m 48, and I’m realizing you know what? You and I are on this earth for a short time.  In fact, the Scriptures talk about it and says that our life is but a mist, that it appears for a little while and then vanishes.  I think that’s what it says in James 4.

You ever think about that? That concept, that word picture of a mist? I think of when you boil something.  You boil a hot dog or something and you see the smoke and it disappears.  That’s the word picture that we’re getting when he’s talking about our life.  It’s quick.

The posture of the text, the posture in the Bible is that God has birthed us and then many in this room have been re-birthed and He wants our lives to count.  He wants us to make a wise investment.

Which brings us to this passage.  Now in verse 6 through 10 that Pastor Bruce taught on, it talked about wealth and then Paul, what he usually does when you read his epistles, he gets kind of excited.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed that.  He will be on a subject and then he’ll leave that subject and start talking about something else.  This happened here in this text.  He went off for a bit to start talking about character and now he’s coming back to like, oh, yeah, I was talking about wealth.  I forgot.  So that’s where we are at this point.

It’s important because I would say a theology of wealth is needed in Paul’s mind, at least, because he’s vitally concerned that Christians have the right attitude as we look at wealth and the proper use of it.  Let me get a few ground rules as we talk about this text here in verse 17 through 21.  First, the Bible does not tell us that building wealth is wrong.  It’s not wrong to have wealth.  This is very important as we shape our understanding of how God views this subject matter.  Actually, the Bible doesn’t give us and warn that there’s a particular amount or lack thereof that you and I need to have to be faithful.  Right? There’s no break-even point where I’m either unfaithful in Christ or I’m faithful in Christ as we talk about stuff.

When I say wealth, I mean we don’t want to just relegate it down to just money.  We’re talking resources, we’re talking stuff, we’re talking material possessions, we’re talking money as well.  The reality is you can be an extremely wealthy believer and be a sold-out, passionate believer in Jesus.  You can have many worldly possessions and be faithful to the mandate that God has called us to make disciples.

At the same time, even though the Bible doesn’t make this subject matter really prescriptively easy because we can’t say this is the number or here’s what you need to have or you can’t have two big screen TVs in your house or you’re unfaithful in Jesus.  Can’t do all that.  Right? So that’s good for us because that allows us not to go around judging each other.  Because the reality is this text here, I just realized how much of a hypocrite I and all of us are.  Right? Because as much as I desire to be faithful in the aspect of wealth, there is always someone less fortunate than me.

This is an exercise of you and I to look at the Word of God and to ask God to give us the grace to have humility.  What Paul has done is he’s presented with an understanding of wealth that he starts in verse 9, Pastor Bruce really conveyed well.  He used the words deceptive, it destroys, and it’s disappointing, if you remember.  Let me pick up from there to here.

Here’s what’s interesting, the conclusion that I came as I read this text and looked at all these other texts, I realized that sometimes I think I look at wealth I would say wrongly.  I would say the posture that the Bible gives you and me in the perspective of wealth is that we should actually be suspicious of it.  It has the sense of a suspicion, of actually danger.

When’s the last time you thought of your wealth creation as a worthwhile and yet sobering but even dangerous venture? Have you ever thought like that? Have you ever thought that I’ve got stuff, but man, I want to be careful.  Do you look at wealth with suspicion?

I would even say in our culture, in our context, that wealth is probably even more dangerous than sexual sin.  Here’s why I would say that.  Not only does the Bible talk about it way more, but that’s not a good apologetic.  I would say that because in our culture sexual sin isn’t a pardonable sin.  It’s very clear and we __ very clearly.  But wealth is a pardonable sin.  You know what I mean by that? I mean that you and I do it so we let others do it.  Right?

It’s like speeding.  Can I get an amen? I don’t see anybody calling each other on speeding around here.  Right?

So the thing is we can mask greed.  You can mask haughtiness.  You can mask thinking you’re better than others because of what you have.  You can mask the idol worship of wealth.  You can hide that from people.  Especially in our culture.  Actually, you don’t have to hide it because people won’t convict you because that’s their struggle, too.

So it’s extremely dangerous because if we’re all having the same struggle and we’re all like, well, if you don’t say nothing, I won’t say nothing, then Satan’s in the corner laughing because he knows that distorting the people of God and we’re not being who we’re called to be.

Don’t take my word for it.  Listen.  Listen to the tone as I read a bunch of Scriptures here.  Listen to the tone as the Bible talks about stuff, the posture I would say is unmistakable.  The sense of at minimum suspicion.  Listen.

Hebrews 13.  I have a few texts here so just kind of listen and just think of the themes you’re hearing.

Hebrews 13, verse 5.  Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have for He said I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Matthew 13, verse 22, the parable of the sower, just a little part of the __.  As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word and it proves unfruitful.  This is what happens to the person who finds themselves being entangled by wealth.

Luke 12:15.  And He said to them, “Take are and be on your guard against all covetousness.”  This is Jesus talking. “For one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

1 John 3.  But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother, so you have the world’s goods and sees his brother in need yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

Matthew 6, verse 19.  Do not lay up, this whole concept of seeking first the kingdom, the posture of where’s our treasure? Seek first the kingdom of God.  Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where month and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

Philippians 3, verse 8.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I might gain Christ.

Proverbs 15, verse 16.  Better is a little with fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.

Matthew 6 talks about giving to the needy in verses 1 through 4. 

Acts 2, very famous passage in verse 45.  They were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. 

2 Corinthians chapter 8, verse 2.  For in a severe test of affliction their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

You see these things with generosity, of other-centeredness, of kingdom focus?

1 Timothy 6, verses 7 and 8.  For we brought nothing into this world and we cannot take anything out of the world, but if we have food and clothing with these we will be content.

Acts 20.  In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ how He Himself said it is more blessed to give than to receive.

We just read Luke chapter 12, verse 33.  Pastor read that.

Ephesians 4:28.  I love this.  Let the thief no longer steal but rather let him labor, do honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with everyone in need.  I love that.  Brother gets in prison reform and you think, oh, now I’m finally doing good.  You say yeah, now go help other people.

2 Corinthians 8.  For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need so that their abundance may supply your need that there may be fairness, as it is written whoever gathered much had nothing left over and whoever gathered little had no lack. 

Luke 14.  So therefore any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciples. 

The rich young ruler in Luke 18.  Jesus saw that he had become sad and said how difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.

Guys, as the great marvel guy Captain America says we can do this all day.  That was just a small sample of all the texts that talk about a posture of how we are to perceive our stuff and what we are to be is a people of God.  You see that? That posture? Think about it.  As you were listening to that, weren’t you thinking, man, this is the total opposite that’s sold to us by culture and by our flesh and society, which says what? Hey, man, the meaning of fulfillment is wanting to be rich, is wanting to have symbols of wealth.  Look what I have, look what I wear.  Aren’t I somebody?

The New Testament relentlessly rejects that notion and it pushes toward a different agenda for the sake of the Gospel, that your life is for the sake of the Gospel and that we don’t __ and desire luxury and riches and material comfort.

With that said, look at what the Scriptures tell us.  When I think of this text here, I think of a theology of wealth.  I think here’s a term I want you to kind of digest.  The text shows us, as we looked at all those texts, that wealth can be a bad investment, or I would say wealth is a bad investment, but it can be a great tool.  I would say that is the tenor of the Scriptures is that to invest in wealth is futile and as it were dumb.  But it can be an amazing tool. 

Look at verse 17.  You have Paul concluding with Timothy and he says as for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty nor to set their hopes on the certainty of riches but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 

See, wealth should be seen with suspicion.  Let’s talk about, let’s start actually not in the beginning, I want to start by talking about wealth in verse 17 and then we will actually look at how he talks about our character, the haughtiness, and then we’ll look at what he says about God.

Notice what he says here about wealth.  The issue with wealth is that it’s momentary, it’s fleeting, it’s uncertain.  Right? That’s what makes it a bad investment.  Think about it.  He starts here with present, I love it – as for the rich in the present age.  You see how he starts that? The whole concept there is guess what? For those of you, all of us who have wealth, you have riches, he’s saying best case scenario you just rich now because it doesn’t last.  You can’t take it with you.  It’s just in the present age.  It’s not in the age to come.  The issue with wealth is that it has a shelf-life.  Right?

So he wants us to get this because he’s training a people and God wants His people to be about eternal investment.  So he’s like why would you have this be your investment when it’s a temporal investment, present age.  Why would you put your heart and your time and your focus on this? But not only in the present age does he give away the whole temporal matter, but then he says don’t hope in this.  Why?  The uncertainty of riches.  You see that? They’re uncertain.  They’re fleeting.  Think about that.  Sometimes I think to myself, wow, this is crazy because even if you have wealth, his point here is you can have wealth today and it’ll be gone tomorrow.  Okay?

Or even worse, you find yourself, and this is where it gets really scary for many of us and the trick of Satan, is that you find yourself spending your whole life trying to get something that’s fleeting, something that’s uncertain, so you’re spending your whole life trying to take the cues of the world and think only if I had more stuff, only if I had more symbols, only if I had these material possessions, now I’d be somebody so you spend your whole life doing that and in doing so you waste your whole life because actually you didn’t even get rich.  So you got the double whammy – you’re not rich now and you’re not rich in eternity.

So both parties lose eventually.  Even the rich individual now you lose because it’s temporal.  It doesn’t last.  Think about that.  That’s investment language, family.  You see what he says.  Look at the text.  He says hope, hope.  That’s investment language.  When you hope in something, you think about something being ahead of time and then you’re doing something not because of that investment, you’re hoping for something ahead of time.  That’s investment language.

Now think about us as investors.  You wouldn’t buy AirPods if they last two days.  You wouldn’t purchase a car that lasts four months.  You wouldn’t buy a house that would crumble in a year.  So God is saying why would you spend your time and your focus and your heart on something that will not last as His people.  Uncertain.

With that mindset, suspicious, we should look at wealth like, whoa, you’re not my friend, you’re a tool.  Suspicious.  It’s not always there.

Look what he says.  He says not only the present age, don’t put your hope because of the present age, because of its uncertainty, but then he talks about those of us we have wealth.  He says I want to give you some commands on your character.  He gives two negative clauses.  We’ve just looked at the one, not putting your hopes in certain riches, but look at the other clause.  He says for those of us that are wealthy, do not be haughty.  That term is only used here in Paul, this whole concept, this haughty, that term there is only used here specifically in 1 Timothy. 

Why does he say this? You know why? Because if we’re honest, financial success, and I’ve seen this practically, for whatever reason we see it in Scriptures, we see it pragmatic and in life, when you have financial success, material success, the danger is you start to think you’re better than other people.  You start to think you’re something special.

This term “haughty” is not something I made up.  Haughty has this posture of you throwing your weight around, specifically in getting the better of even others who are less fortunate than you.  It’s the people who have affluence and they think that because I have affluence, because I have something, I must mean more. 

I always try to share my heart.  When I’ve served people throughout my almost 30 years of Christian ministry, I’ve been amazed because it’s partially our fault.  I’ve been amazed at how much we, including myself, can be a respecter of persons because of their wealth.  Because of their resources.  I mean, think of it.  Have you guys ever been no boards? I mean, we put people on boards several times because of their resources, because of what they have.  The scary thing, here’s the scary thing if we can keep it real, I know a lot of very wealthy, smart, godly people, but you know what? I know some really dumb, wealthy people, too. 

One thing that’s interesting to me is many times I’ll talk with a wealthy person and they’ll think they’re smart because they’re wealthy.  It’s almost like my words matter more, I need to be able to say more because I have stuff.

So his whole point here is don’t be haughty.  Haughty is the posture of arrogance.  Here’s what he’s saying.  He’s saying that basically you and I when we get stuff we can kind of have the three eyes, right?  We kind of look at each other and we say hey, guess what? I have all this stuff.  I have these material possessions.  You know why? Because I did it.  It’s mine.  And because I did it and all of this is mine, I’m better than you.

All three are just absolutely ungodly.  “I did it” disregards the great sovereignty of God, His gracious hand in providing for us.  “It’s mine” disregards His ownership and how everything you and I have is on loan.  Right? It belongs to God.  He gives it to us so that we might actually provide an eternal investment.  Then because I have these things, I won’t say it out loud, but I feel like I’m a little better than you, which disregards our created understanding of who we are, that actually we’re all created with purpose and value and worth and I’m no better than any other person, less than or more than.

That’s a passion I desire for my family, for our kids to grow up and just be able to know, not just know the philosophy but deeply in their hearts realize that I am no better than another person, that I can see the image-bearing aspect of God in all people.  I pray for that for my family.

He says we disregard God’s ownership, we disregard His provision in our life, and look what he does here.  He tells us don’t be haughty and then he gives us the reason.  He gives us a technological reason and he gives a practical reason.

First, you see the theological reason there.  Right? In verse 17, look at what he says here.  Don’t put your hope in these riches, he says, but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.  He says, guys, how have you forgotten that everything you have comes from God Himself?  I love this text here because in the midst of him talking about wealth, he makes it clear that everything you have has come from God, so even those material possessions are from God and He wants you to enjoy them.  He wants you to enjoy them.  But at the very same time He wants you to understand they’re from Him.

Now we’re going to talk about what do we do with these things.  Why do we have these things? Look what he says in verse 18.  So God gives us these things to richly enjoy, then verse 18 he says, hey, this is what you ought to do.  People, these people are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, and ready to share.  I love this part, the text here.  He gives the remedy.  You ever think to yourself, well, okay, if I am haughty, if I do have resources, what does it look like? How do I experience humility? How do I protect myself from greed? How do make sure that that I’m seeing myself as a shrewd investor, that I’m suspicious of wealth, I have it but I’m using it, it’s not my friend, I’m using it as a tool.  How do I guard against idol worship in this way? How do I make sure that I am using wealth in a good way? He gives the elixir right here.  How do I fight against pride?

He gives us these four wise uses in this passage.  He says he wants us to do good, be rich in good works, be generous, and ready to share. 

Now don’t miss this, family.  The reason why you and I are wealthy is for the good of other people.  I think that’s what I would say is the crux of how Satan wants to kind of twist and wants us to lull us asleep by giving us material possessions and comfort because he wants us to lull ourselves so that we won’t be the good we’re supposed to be. 

Can I even provide, if it’s okay, I want to talk about the utility of this in a moment.  It’s implied here.  It’s not clear but it’s implied here.  I want to talk utility.  Here’s what I mean.  When you see a person who has material possessions according to the text in verse 17, and they’re haughty, they have wealth, how is that person going to be on mission for God?  Right?  If you’re heart and your focus is the things you have, the things you own, how are you going to be free to be radically obedient to Jesus? 

See, I’m convinced that this text here for me, it hit my heart because I thought to myself, oh, so, it’s not just, because the words are very clear.  Okay, I understand who God is, don’t be haughty.  Okay.  Well, I’m not haughty, but I have stuff.  What is God wanting from me?  As I look at the text, as we looked at all those texts there, there seems to be a posture in the Scriptures where we are to be on mission for God, where we are to be willing to have our stuff and hold it open-handedly so that people we can bless, people so that when we bless people we can share the Gospel, we can present the Gospel, we can model the Gospel.

But how do you do those things in radical ways?  How do you and I go into an unreached people group if we’re holding onto things here? Like, honestly, the utility of this is very interesting to me because I’m thinking one of the tricks of Satan is for you and I go have stuff so that we’re not free to be on mission for Jesus.  There seems to be a posture from the text that I read and this text that wants us to have a simple life so that we might be free to do good.

The reason why you’re wealthy is for other people.  As we are wealthy and we see that, man, the things I have are for others, now we’re able to defend against the greed because we’ve done two things.  Right? We’ve acknowledged who God is and we’re giving it away.  We’re serving each other and we’re giving it away.

Now I love this.  He says they are to do good and to be rich in good works.  I love this.  He gives four, you have these infinitives here, to do good, to be rich in good works, and I love the first thing he says about how to move in light of this, how do rich people fight against this?  He doesn’t talk about money.  Those two infinitives are about giving your life to do good and to be rich in good works.  Those are mobilization tasks, that’s you giving of yourself, not just giving of your resources.

The next two are benevolence.  The next two are actually your resources.  You notice what he says there.  He says, hey, I want you to be generous, so there’s a command, and I love how he does this here, there’s a command to be generous and then he says to be willing to share.  So the first one is like even if you don’t want to share you need to be generous.  And then the next one is like but you, I’m hoping that it stems from the flow of your heart, that you want to be willing to share and care for others.

So we ought to do good and be rich in good works.  That’s the elixir.  That’s the fight.  That’s how we are able to fight against greed.

Look what he says in verse 19.  He says we do this, we actually, verse 19, thus will be storing up treasures for themselves as a good foundation for the future.  I love that.  I love that when you and I, when I think of this text, a lot of times when we think of giving of our money, giving of our time, giving of our resources, we automatically think, or I think, well, man, I think it’s a zero-sum game.  If I have stuff and I’m giving it to others and I’m looking, I take my life and I’m thinking of it as a strategic war room.  Think about it.  The Bibles gives us this war imagery.  Right? That you and I are, we are fighting a battle.

The reality is we are not here just hanging out, but we’re fighting a battle and God says I want you to take your resources and your stuff and I want you to use it strategically as for arrows and ammunition for people to be set free in Christ, for people to be loved on in Jesus.  This is what should be the modus operandi for you and me.  Right? Is that the stuff we have we use it for the sake of others.

If I’m doing that, I can think, well, man, if I give it to you, then I don’t have it.  And I struggle with this.  I’m telling you, even yesterday, I have a wife like this.  She’s awesome.  You know, I come in and she’ll be like, “Hey, honey, these individuals did these things for us and so I got them some gift cards for Christmas.”  I’m like, “Oh, man.”  So she’ll come in and she’ll buy people gift cards and she just wants to give all our money away.  She just is always trying to think of ways to serve other people.  And I’m so cheap I can be caught up in well, no, no, no, wait, we need these things.  But then I think as I watch her and I’m thinking oh, this is what she’s doing.  She’s thinking about how to care for people, how to lift people up, how to encourage them in who they are in Christ, both the believer so she can spur them on to loving good deeds, and also the unbeliever so that they can see who they are so we have opportunities to present Christ to them. 

That’s what this is saying.  This is saying that actually there isn’t a zero-sum game.  It’s that when you give of yourself and of your resources, you aren’t actually losing.  It’s saying it’s a benefit for them, verse 19, and it’s a benefit for you.  Storing up treasures for themselves as a good foundation, constant foundation.  What does he mean by foundation? Well, it likens to signs.  You know you’re driving somewhere and your like, man, I hope I can get there, and you need landmarks.  That’s what this text is kind of saying when he’s saying foundation.  He’s saying a foundation for the future so that you may take hold of that which is truly life.

It’s kind of the sense of you want to know you’re doing okay.  Right? He’s saying that the works that you and I do when we care for people in these radical ways, when we see that there’s a need and we kind of give of ourselves and we sacrificially say, “You know what? I’m going to take my social capital and I want to use it for the advancement of God’s kingdom.”  When you’re pouring yourself out as a drink offering.  God is saying that those moments, those times, are actually signposts as it were.

I’m a guy who gets lost all the time, but I need those posts just to remind me.  I can’t just hear because I’m more pharisaical when it comes to directions.  Like if you say John Street, and it’s John Boulevard, I’ll stop and be like, oh, no, what happened? Because you didn’t say John Street.  So I need another, like a landmark.  So if you say, “Oh, and Aldi’s right there on the corner,” I’m like, “Yo, okay, cool.” 

So in the same way this text is trying to remind you and me that what happens is that those works that we’re doing, they’re a reminder that, wow, I’m standing on, and I love this, notice the juxtaposition, notice how he talks about the things of God and what God’s about firm foundation, and the things of the world, of this present age, uncertain.  His point is he wants to remind you and me that when we put our focus on the Lord, when we are able to put our hope in God and we know that He’s provided us everything.  Why?  Not so that we can stockpile, but so that we can strategically use our resources for the advancement of His kingdom.  He says that will encourage our hearts that we’re on the right path of eternal life.

Then he says, “Timothy.”  It’s the only time he says Timothy in the text other than the beginning salutation.  He says, “Guard the deposit entrusted to you and avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for professing it some have swerved from the faith.  Grace be with you.” 

It’s a very simple ending, but I think it’s really profound because you think he says, okay, yeah, avoid chatter and guard the deposit, this whole concept of actually the Greek term is parathekis, it’s like a deposit sent to a bank and someone entrusting to you exactly a specific thing so that you can entrust to others.  The whole concept there is as a minister of the Gospel we don’t add to the Gospel but God has given us the good news and He wants us to be able to give that to others.  He’s saying I would think that’s really simple.  We get that.  We understand.  Oh, yeah, I got the Gospel, I live out the Gospel. 

But there’s a reason why Paul put that there.  You know why? Because, guys, walking with God and living out the Gospel in the way that he’s talking about is just hard.  It’s hard.  So I’ll end just encouraging you.  Think about it.  It’s hard to say, you know what, Lord, I want to trust You with my resources and I want to figure out ways where we can give as a family and as individuals to specific needs where we see people hurting in our communities.  Lord, would You allow me to have a life that’s sacrificial?  Would You allow me to not be like the world and say I need these things, I need these resources, I need that symbol to tell me or to show people that I have stuff.  Lord, would You continue to remind me to be faithful in that regard.  He must know that that’s difficult because he tells Timothy make sure you guard it now.  Because he says there are probably people that you know and they’re swerving away from the faith, which I’ve seen.

I’ve been amazed in my time in ministry, individuals who were sold out for the Lord and now they’re not even walking with Christ.  I pray that for all of us that we wouldn’t allow this concept of wealth where God wants you and I to not see it as a friend.  It’s not our friend.  But to see it as a tool to be strategically used to love people for the advancement of God’s kingdom.

That’s how Paul has concluded 1 Timothy.  He says I’m absent from the battle, Timothy, but I’m concerned enough to talk about this and to talk about the heresy that’s around you and to give you directives to stand guard.  He entrusts throughout this book that we’ve read, we’ve seen him to entrust Timothy to prayer and he’s talked about modesty and he’s talked about how to conduct yourselves and he’s talked about family and he’s talked about being a good minister and how to be a mature saint and how to be a servant, and how to be rich.

So when you think of him stewarding all this to Timothy, these resources for the benefit of others, when we think of He’s given us these resources for other people, and to put your hope in these resources literally is to be futile and realize that it’s going to waste away one day, family, church, it really is a no-brainer, isn’t it?  He’s asking us to give to eternal things, to remind ourselves that wealth is a bad investment, but Lord, would You give us the grace to make it a great tool for our community here at Christ Covenant and Matthews.

Let me pray for us.                  

Holy God, that’s our prayer.  We want to not waste our time in Your world.  Lord, we repent of kind of winking at the things that the world likes, Lord.  We ask that You would fill us with Your Spirit and allow us to be able to show others as they look at our lives, as they see us, that we’re different.  We’re not privy to the same things.  We don’t love the same things that the world loves.  Lord, we ask would You allow for everyone in this room and our local community as a whole to be a people that makes it clear that our treasure is Christ.  We ask this in Jesus’ name.  Amen.