March 5, 2017
Put Your Money
Where Your Heart Is
Working / Earning
Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 10:27
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind
Hebrews 10:25
Don’t give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another
James 1:27
look after orphans and widows in their distress
Luke 14:13
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind
Being a Faithful Worker
The next couple of weeks, we’ll talk about how to spend money, but before we get there, we need to talk about how to be faithful to earn money and be a faithful worker.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.
29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
We can fall into a few different pitfalls -
Laziness
The American Dream of Mediocrity
The American Dream of Wealth
Working
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Proverbs 14:23
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
“If we understand that God’s purpose for our money is to know Him and make Him known, then it alters how we manage our resources on a day-to-day basis.” – Josh Lawson (Realign)
Earning
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
1 Timothy 6:17
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Teaching
Lastly, it’s important to remember that you can teach your kids how to work and how to earn.
Show you kids that it brings you joy when they do a job well. Sometimes our work brings rewards. Overall, be a hard worker. Obedience in our work brings glory to God. Trust that God will provide for you and that he has a plan for the money that you earn.
Communication Card
1. I will commit myself to not being lazy in the way I live my life.
2. I will sacrifice the “American Dream” to live for God’s Kingdom.
3. I will strive this week to be a faithful worker.
