“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Jesus, Luke 12:32-34 (ESV)
The Bible regularly calls us to generosity. In the Old Testament, the attitude is pictured with a wide-open hand. Instead of holding back for yourself, you open up to share with others.
Jesus gives us the foundational cause for our generosity in Luke 12–when God is our Father, we already have everything.
With this, there will be a disconnect that we feel between this life and eternity. When we live on budgets, balance our bank accounts, and try not to spend more than we bring in, it might seem like we don’t have much. But, our share in everything is coming. This is why the Bible describes our eternal gain through Jesus as an “inheritance.” An inheritance is something that is becoming ours but not yet in our hands.
The problem with earthly inheritances is that they are never guaranteed. Even if a parent or grandparent promises us a large sum of money, something could always happen that results in a far reduced share. Our eternal inheritance, however, will be ours without question. Jesus already gained it on the cross, and the God who never lies has promised that will we receive our full share through Christ.
This reality shapes what we do with our money now. Do we want to be wise with it? Of course. Is there still room for investing and saving? Yes, as we are able. But, we should not let gain in this life be a driving motive. What we do with our treasure reflects our hearts.
If we live as children of the Kingdom, we’ll be interested in helping out, as much as we can, those who are in need. We can be generous because we don’t live for the money in the account, but rather because we live for Jesus and he has promised us a treasure that will never fade.
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