Be still: 'Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.' Lord, today I ask you to speak to me through your Word. Amen
Read: 1 Timothy 6:11-24
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (v18–19)
Encounter: The author Stephen King tells the story of being involved in a serious car accident. He found himself lying in a ditch by the side of the road covered in blood. In reflecting on this moment as he faced his mortality he writes: 'We come into this world naked and broke. We may get dressed when we go out, but we’re just as broke… All that lasts is what you pass on.'
Stephen King, as far as I’m aware, is not a professing Christian, but has understood something profound about giving. We can’t take our bank savings and possessions to heaven with us, so ultimately the best use of money is to give it away. In doing so we invest in communities serving the needs of others around us. But more remarkably, as Jesus (Matt 6) and Paul teach, when we give our money away to the church we belong to, we invest in the ‘coming age’. Every pound we give goes on ahead of us into eternity to build up treasure and blessings that we will enjoy forever.
Apply: When we invest in God’s Kingdom, we are investing in lives being transformed; we are literally populating heaven. I believe in part the treasure Paul is talking about here are people who are now experiencing eternal life because of our giving. A new iPhone, car or house, may be enjoyed for a number of years, but our giving to God lays up for us treasure in heaven that will be enjoyed for eternity.
Devote: Lord help me to make the best investment regarding my money. Where I am focusing on myself and this lifetime, help me to see the eternal perspective. Help me to be 'generous and willing to share.'