Scriptures:
Matthew 6:19-21 and 1 Timothy 6:6-19
Reflection:
The Bank of England estimates that the typical household in England spends £800 more in December than other months. For example:
• 16% more on food
• 39% more on alcohol
• 85% more on books
• 16% more on music and DVD’s
And sometimes it is difficult to resist the temptation to spend. Advertisers are very skilled at making us feel guilty if we do not buy their item for our loved one or making us aware of a need we did not know we had. Of course, this pressure puts many individuals and families under severe strain, as debts increase and the bills come at this time of the year.
And we know that the way in which we spend is changing dramatically too, with the switch to online shopping hugely accelerated in the past year by the pandemic. It is so much easier to sit on my sofa and spend money!
And are you the kind of person who keeps a spreadsheet, accounting for every penny spent, or are you more spontaneous, rushing out at the last minute for what you need (when even Amazon cannot get it to us in time!)?
But how much of what we acquire is soon forgotten, or lost? Those things which we felt were essential become quickly pushed to the back of a drawer. Does that tell us something about what we are spending our money on?
Perhaps the question we should ask is this: What are you investing in? Because according to the words of Jesus, 'where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'. He was speaking about eternity, of course, but just as we might invest for the future in this life, it is more important that we invest for eternity, where moths, vermin and thieves cannot destroy our treasure (Matt. 6:19).
God longs for us to put our hope in him. He is trustworthy, whereas wealth is so uncertain (1 Tim. 6:17). He calls on us to use the money we have to spare to invest in true treasure, which provides a firm foundation for the age to come.
Prayer:
O Lord,
forgive me if I have not believed Your Word about
storing up treasure in heaven. Help me to trust in
You and in Your Word more than I trust in this
world. Today I want to trust my future into Your
hands. Help me to trust You enough to invest my
money in Your kingdom, which is where I will be
spending all my future days. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Songs:
Treasures in Heaven - Mark Trammell Quartet
(only slightly tongue in cheek!)
There is a Higher Throne – Keith and Kristyn Getty
Food for Thought:
Spend some time today meditating on the words of the second song above. You can
find them by searching ‘There is a higher throne lyrics’ in Google.