Good Shepherd Lutheran Church / Monday, May 3, 2021 / Categories: Publications, Daily Devotions Daily Devotion Matthew 6:19-21 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Introduction to Stewardship of Money (from Good Shepherd’s Confirmation curriculum) The Bible is full of examples and teachings about giving. Giving was considered an act of worship, not a fund-raising effort. The emphasis was on giving from, the act of parting with the valuable gift, rather than on giving to, or the one who would receive the gift. Parting with a portion of our income is not easy. However, once we are able to wrap our heads around the fact that everything we have comes from God we are more able to see ourselves as caretakers of God’s stuff rather than owners of our own stuff. None of what we have—money, housing, possessions—is ours. It all comes from God and will go back to God. We just get to use it for a short time while we are here on earth. In the bible passage from Matthew 6 listed above Jesus points out that stewardship of our money and possessions is a matter of the heart. The invitation to generosity (storing up treasures in heaven) is a discipline that is for our benefit, which then in turn benefits our neighbor. To be generous is to reflect the very nature of God. When we share what we have we are living into our trust that God abundantly provides what we need. However, our culture is constantly telling us we need “more” and” better” stuff to be happy. Public storage space is a big business because we fall for the idea that we can and should have it all. This is to store up treasures on earth. Jesus invites us into a new way of life, storing up treasure in heaven. Partnering with God and using our resources to bless the lives of others, that is where true joy is found. Have you ever known the struggle of feeling consumed by your possessions? I remember talking with a man one Sunday morning who was exhausted after having spent a long week at work and then had spent his whole Saturday taking care of the lawn at his second home at the lake. He made a comment that sometimes it felt like he was possessed by his possessions. That same man, however, also shared the blessing of his lake home with others, often inviting friends out for a weekend or even hosting church meetings at that property. I know I enjoyed a Council retreat at his lake home one Fall day where the joy of fellowship and the calming view of the lake restored my soul. His lake home was a blessing and that day his blessing, blessed me and the other members of Council. Today spend some time in prayer inviting God to show you where you can store up treasure in heaven. Previous Article Daily Devotion Next Article Daily Devotion Print 7289 Rate this article: No rating 1 comments on article "Daily Devotion" Christopher Nagle Love this. Hard truth, but a great reminder. Thanks for sharing. 5/3/2021 9:22 PM Reply to Leave a comment Name: Please enter a name. Email: Please enter an email address. Please enter a valid email address. Comment: Please enter comment. I agree This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data. You must read and accept this rules. Add comment