Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)
Money affects your heart. Whether you are in plenty or in want, money has a direct connection to your stress level, your anxiety, and the health of your relationships. It is no wonder, then, that Jesus talked about the relationship between our treasure and our hearts. For a four-week period beginning October 29, we will look at the many ways that our treasure (time, energy, money) affects our spiritual and emotional lives. Join us in worship on that date as we begin our new sermon series called Treasure: A Stewardship Program on Faith and Money. We will explore Matthew 6 and Jesus’ teachings on money, giving, worry, and more. In addition, we will consider how financial challenges in our personal lives affect our relationships with people and with God. We will see how giving helps to determine the way we feel and act. If you have stress related to money or feel there may be more that God is calling you to do with your resources, this will be a helpful study. Overview of the Treasure series:
October 29: Where Is Your Treasure? (Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21)
November 5: The Problem with Two Masters (No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:24)
November 12: Giving Your Treasure Back to God (So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others…but when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:2-5)
November 19: Don’t Worry ’Bout a Thing (Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear…But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:25-33) — Commitment Sunday
At the end of the four weeks, we will have an opportunity to make personal commitments of our offerings to God through our church in the coming year. We will receive commitment cards in the mail, and cards will be available on Sunday mornings. We will bring these commitment cards to worship on Sunday, November 19. I hope that you’ll join us in the coming weeks as we look at Jesus’ teaching on how we can avoid some of the common pitfalls related to money, and how we can give our lives and our treasure to God.
Blessed to be a Blessing-
Pastor Chad