What’s in Your Spiritual Wallet? (Long Term Investments)

February 9, 2018

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). In this episode, Jeff helps and challenges you to locate the treasure in your life. What is it that you pursue, protect, or are preoccupied with? If your heart is in your hobbies, property, or 401k then there is your treasure. But if your heart lies within the kingdom, your treasure will follow. While listening to this episode, take a look at your life right now to discover God’s will in it. There is no better way to invest in your spiritual wallet. To find out more about the Fulfilled Bible Study recommended by Jeff in this episode go to Ascensionpress.com.

SHOWNOTES

3 Biblical Principles About Money

We must change our relationship with money. We are stewards, not owners.
1. “We have been given everything to live a wholesome life” (2 Peter 1:3).
2. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalms 24:1–2).
3. Among Christians, Catholics are the lowest givers (and yet often the most wealthy and educated) identified as a “lack of spiritual engagement with money”
Locate the treasure in your life.
1. “For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21-24).
What’s really wrong about money?
1. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).
2. “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). This too is meaningless.
3. Financial troubles can pay a toll on your mental well-being and relationships and peace of mind.

True Security: Money vs Wisdom

Wisdom is a better shelter: “Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12)
Security is in Christ: You cannot serve God and Mammon at the same time. (Matthew 6:33; Luke 16:13)
Less is often times more: “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.” (Proverbs 15:16)
Free from love of money leads to contentment: “ Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, I will never fail you nor forsake you.” Hence we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Additional Bible Verses Mentioned in This Episode

Matthew. 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:28-33 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Psalms. 39:6-11 Surely man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nought are they in turmoil; man heaps up, and knows not who will gather! “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in thee. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Make me not the scorn of the fool! I am dumb, I do not open my mouth; for it is thou who hast done it. Remove thy stroke from me; I am spent by the blows of thy hand. When thou dost chasten man with rebukes for sin, thou dost consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely every man is a mere breath! Proverbs 19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” This verse contains the final ingredient for inspiring the concept of laying up treasure in heaven. Like Isaiah 57:15, 58:6-10 and Psalm 34:18, this proverb establishes a close identification of God with the poor. Sirach 29:10-12 “Lose your silver for the sake of a brother or a friend, and do not let it rust under a stone and be lost. Lay up your treasure according to the commandments of the Most High, and it will profit you more than gold. Store up almsgiving in your treasury, and it will rescue you from all affliction.” Luke 12:16-21 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” 1 Corinthians. 3:10-15 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

More Great Resources from Jeff

Learn more about The Great Adventure Bible Timeline and preview any study for free. For an easy way to transform your approach to reading Scripture, check out Jeff’s Bible Timeline Chart. For an illustrated resource introducing God’s love story to children while helping them to understand how the Catholic Church is the body of Christ on Earth try The Great Adventure Storybook.

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