A man who chooses the Jesus script is…
A man who is not owned by his possessions.
Matthew, the one-time tax collector turned disciple of Jesus, recorded these words from his firsthand account of hearing Jesus speak them.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
—Matthew 6:19–24
Most of us don’t feel like we have spare money. Want to know why? It’s a simple g-word… greed. Now, we likely wouldn’t call ourselves greedy. It’s hard to spot greed in the mirror. But greed has nothing to do with an amount of money. You can be rich or poor and still be greedy. Greed is the assumption that it's all for our consumption. We don’t feel like we have spare money because we consume it. We spend, buy, upgrade, or stash it away.
Jesus had a way of cutting to the heart of an issue. He didn’t call the desire for money a bad thing. But he did call it a bad master. It’s an appetite that’s never fully satisfied. It always wants more, more, more. And ultimately, it doesn’t last. The bank account, the portfolio, the house, the second house, and all the stuff eventually goes to someone else.
What God wants is our hearts. And for that to happen, we need to see our resources as investments we can make into treasures that last into eternity. Regardless of how much or little we have, imagine what it would look like if we thought, Wow, I have extra. How can I put it toward something meaningful? How can I make it a means to an end that goes beyond me? That perspective will cost us something in the short-term, but what is gained in the long run is worth it. This goes beyond the realm of our personal finances. It’s about who’s really in charge of your life. It’s about whether your life will be full of stuff or full of meaning.
Are there any adjustments you need to make? Have you felt God nudging you to become more generous? Take the step. Make the choice to give it away. Choose to be a man who is not owned by his possessions, but who sees his possessions as tools to express his faithfulness to the kingdom of God. A man who recognizes that everything that's ever been placed in our hands is the result of God's grace to us. And while it may come to me, it's not all for me. Don't give in to the consumption assumption that if it comes to me, it's to be consumed by me. That’s what a man who follows the Jesus script would do.
