Death Archives - Page 2 of 2

2 Reasons God Wants Your Money

By Paula (Hendricks) Marsteller / Leave a Comment / Death, God

Last week we asked the question, Why does God want your money? We made the important clarification that it’s not your money but God’s money. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get back to the original question:

Why does God want your (er, His!) money?

Here are just two reasons from Matthew 6:19–21:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (emphasis added).

When we go, we’ll leave everything behind. Everything except the money and stuff we’ve invested in God’s forever kingdom.

God wants your money because He wants you to have treasures that’ll last. As in, forever.

My sweet neighbor has let me watch two of her births. Elijah came out clutching a flat-screen TV, and Mercy came out with a sparkling pair of twenty-four-carat diamond earrings. (Kidding!) They both came out naked and empty-handed. No surprise, right? Paul says it like this in 1 Timothy 6:7:

We brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world (emphasis added).

Have you ever asked your mom what you brought into this world the day you were born? Probably not, because you already know the answer. Nada. Zippo. Nothing.

But have you ever stopped to think about the fact that when you leave this world (whether it’s through death or through Jesus’ soon return for you), you will bring nothing with you? Nada. Zippo. Nothing.

I like how John Piper says it:

There are no U-Hauls behind hearses.

In Matthew 6:19, Jesus isn’t saying it’s wrong to store up treasures; He just doesn’t want us to be stupid about it. We can’t take our favorite possessions or clothes with us (sorry to disappoint!). When we go, we’ll leave everything behind. Everything except the money and stuff we’ve invested in God’s forever kingdom.

Randy Alcorn says it like this, “You can’t take it with you—but you can send it on ahead.” He continues in his fantastic little book The Treasure Principle:

Jesus has a treasure mentality. He wants us to store up treasures! He’s just telling us to stop storing them in the wrong place and start storing them in the right place!

God wants you to have treasures that’ll actually last—as in forever.

God wants your money because above all, He wants your heart.
There’s another reason God wants your (ahem, His!) money.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).

What if God is really after your heart? And what if the way to your heart is through . . . your wallet?

As I read The Treasure Principle, I learned that 15 percent of everything Jesus says in the Bible relates to money—more than His teachings on heaven and hell combined!

Why does He care so much about money? It’s ’cause He knows that wherever our money goes, our heart goes.

More than your money, He’s after your heart (Matt. 15:7–9). He wants you to share a relationship with Him that’s closer than any other relationship you have on this entire planet. (And yes, when that happens, He’ll also have your money.)

Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t payback. God didn’t sacrifice His life for you so you could pay Him back (as if you could!). Your salvation was a free, lavish gift. Don’t pull out your wallet to pay Him back. Give out of joy and gratefulness for how He gave to you, and watch your love for Him skyrocket as you do. Because where your money goes, there your heart goes.
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9).

PS: Not sure where to give? If you’ve already given to your church, would you consider supporting LiesYoungWomenBelieve.com? LYWB.com is an outreach of Revive Our Hearts, and ROH has a super-amazing deal going on for the next four days. Some generous friends of the ministry are doubling each first-time gift. Just have $2.50? Great! That’s $5 you just gave back to keep this ministry alive. Don’t miss this special opportunity!

PPS: Have you ever invested in God’s forever kingdom? Leave me a comment telling me how (by June 2) to win one of three copies of The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. It’s an easy read!

Love this post? Share it! Here’s a tweet you can totally steal from us:

What if God is really after your heart? And what if the way to your heart is through . . . your wallet? (Be sure to include a link to today’s post.)

Eight Ways To Prepare For Persecution

By Paula (Hendricks) Marsteller / Leave a Comment / Death, Suffering

If Jesus says we can expect persecution (and He does), then I sure want to know how to prepare for it. So with the help of Thomas Watson’s book The Beatitudes, I came up with the following eight ways to prepare for persecution:

1. Get to know Jesus better. In the words of Watson, “A man can never die for him he does not know.” Are you satisfied with what you know of Christ, or do you long for an even closer friendship with Him?

2. Store up God’s Word in your heart—especially His promises to those who suffer for Him. Promises like Matthew 10:28–33, Mark 10:29–30, Psalm 91:14–16, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and Matthew 10:19–20.

3. Read the stories of those who have been persecuted for Jesus. Sure, some of the details may make you squeamish, but these stories will infuse you with courage and give you examples to imitate. My recent favorite is Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, founder of The Voice of the Martyrs. There are so many more, like the story of Perpetua, a courageous woman who died in AD 203.

4. Don’t be so quick to always defend yourself; trust God to be your Defender. This is tough. We’re proud, and proud people tend to think they’re above suffering. Are you willing to let go of your high opinion of yourself and trust God with your reputation?

5. Replace fear of man with a healthy fear of God. Jesus puts it like this in Matthew 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul [men]. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell [God].”

6. Treasure truth. In a world filled with lies and confusion, wholeheartedly seek after truth and lovingly share it with others. Don’t be easily swayed by people’s words and arguments. Examine everything you hear against the truth of God’s Word to test whether or not it’s true (Acts 17:11).

7. Pursue righteousness. Jesus says “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matt. 5:10, emphasis added). Run from evil. Repent of your sin. Keep a clear conscience before God. Pursue Him.

8. Look for ways to deny yourself rather than always pampering yourself. I used to know a guy who regularly slept on the floor rather than in a bed. I’m not recommending that, but if you always choose the very best for yourself, you’ll have a hard time when you experience real suffering. Besides, Jesus told His followers in Matthew 16:24–25, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

“Before a man can die for Christ he must be dead to the world,” Thomas Watson said. The apostle Paul lived that way. In Galatians 6:14 he said, “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

How do you plan on preparing for the very real possibility of persecution? Tell me about it.