Notes to accompany "Discipleship, Week 8"Mark 10.45 We all like to treasure. Your treasure and your heart Our treasures are what we value. We guard them. We prize them. Jesus warns us: Be careful what you put in your bag. Matthew 6:19-21 Whatever's in your bag, that's where your heart will be. Matthew 13:44-46 Hidden treasure and a costly pearl. Some people think this is all about sacrifice. It's not. It's about common sense! When you and I present the Gospel to someone it's incredibly stupid of them to refuse! Jesus offers them:
You'd have to be an idiot to turn that lot down! What does God treasure? Above all else God loves people. Being a disciple of Christ means developing God's heart for people Luke 19:10 Revealing your heart "Am I reflecting the values Jesus taught and lived? Have I got a generous heart?" God's Word warns us to be careful. Deuteronomy 8:10-14, 17-18 1 Timothy 6:6-10 If we want to honour God in this matter of treasure we have to train our hearts and wills. We need tangible practices that say "Money is not my god." Regular giving is such a practice. Tithing to your local church is one of God's most important training exercises for reshaping our hearts to be Christ's disciples. Life in the world is preoccupied with increasing your standard of living. Life in the Kingdom of God is preoccupied with increasing your standard of giving. The question of giving is simply this: Will you come to God with your little bag and with childlike love say: "Here it is. This is the best I've got. |