Store in a Cool, Dry Place.
It’s fascinating just how much we can hide. Wait, let me rephrase that… It’s amazing how much we think we can hide. I’ve never hidden money under a mattress, but I’ve definitely heard of people doing as such. Personally, I think such an idea is risky at best. Here’s why:
Matt 6: 19 – Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.
Jesus is probably not talking about mattress savings accounts… but I’m pretty positive under the mattress is not the oft-prescribed “cool, dry place” suitable for storage. There is definitely a risk of moths and thieves there. Yesterday’s sermon (click here!) took on the teaching points that follow from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount immediately following the verse above.
He gets personal… very personal. The topic of bank accounts, retirement accounts, tithing, and worry are all lumped together with one very profound ultimatum:
No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. (6:24)
Which is it going to be? Our perishables that we keep cool and dry; Or the God of the Universe? Both require sacrifice – money wants our time and energy to make more at the cost of ourselves and others; God wants both our time and energy, but to the benefit of others and ourselves. One results in the favor of men… the other results in God being glorified.
We have to make the hard choice – Worship God or worship stuff. When we put it that way it sounds scary doesn’t it? Of course we only worship God. Take some time to reread Matthew 6 though and Jesus is very clear about this. If we are elevating the perishable aspect of our lives (pursuit of money, comfort, etc…) we diminish and eliminate the value of God in our lives.
If we truly want to serve God and make His name famous we must remove the shackles of our love of money. Jesus knows us, and understand our attachment to this world. Which is why he treats us with this promise:
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6: 33
Everything we need. The reality is this: when we seek God’s kingdom first we really aren’t sacrificing all that much. God will provide what we need, we won’t be found lacking. He feeds the birds and dresses the flowers. He has promised us that we are worth much more than them.
It is time for us to show our generosity, our willingness to sacrifice for the growth of His Kingdom. Prove our attachment to God above money by tithing – following that ancient edict of giving God the best of what we have. Tithe your time – the best time you have, not just what you can spare. No more keeping what we treasure in a cool, dry place.