Jesus had a great line: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” This line is about money and our treasure, and it is especially about our hearts. Let’s face it – God cares about our hearts! This is why Jesus talked so much about our hearts and money. God is not all about money or power – He has all the power in the universe. The Lord cares about the pull that money has on our hearts, because money and possessions promise things to us – like power, prestige, feeling significant, comfort, and more. We actually NEED these things – and God is the only one who can truly give them to us. Unlike almost anything else, money and possessions seem to give us the security we need – and so they compete with the true security we can only have in Jesus.
God is not against money, God is for our hearts. The Lord wants us to work hard as if we are working for Him, who gave His life for us. As we work hard we will make money. We need to be good stewards of money, seeing all of it as a gift from the Lord, and all of it belonging to Him. We are called to save and be content with what we have – pretty tough in a market driven world designed to make you discontent. We are called to give generously – to be transformed into Jesus-type people characterized by giving and generosity – in our time, treasure, and talent. God cares about our hearts.
At Covenant Grove Church, we have never been pushy about money or giving – because it is not about our church – it is about growing people’s hearts closer to Christ. Giving – in all areas of our lives – is one of the ways we all need to grow. Some people need to start giving – step one would be giving regularly – even $1 per week. Step two would be to plan and budget giving – and see how God responds. God is faithful. Step three is moving to sacrificial giving – where you give 10% and beyond. (In the New Testament, 10% is not a command; most of the Christians were giving much more than 10%, following Jesus.) This is where your life is about giving to God and blessing others – and, though the hardest at first, it is where the true joy and blessing come. And check this out – the people who have let God grow them this way actually have MORE money than those who give less. Part of this is they spend less and give more. Part of this is God’s blessing to the faithful. It is all about our hearts growing more and more to be like Jesus.
I love being a part of our church. We have 7 Growing Commitments that we are working on all the time: God’s Word, Relationships, Offering, Worship, Impact outside the church, sharing New Life and inviting people, and using our Gifts inside the church. May God bless you as your heart grows closer to Him, and you grow more and more into a giver!
