Oct 25, 2023
What is your most valuable treasure? What do you long to own or experience? Sometimes it can feel as if our dreams or desires are beyond us financially. Join Julie Jenkins as she uncovers truth from the Word that when we serve God with our whole hearts, we will begin to experience treasure beyond our wildest imagination.
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Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast.
It is October, 2023 as I record this, and we at Women World Leaders are as busy as ever as we follow the call God has put on our lives to empower YOU to walk in your God-given purpose. If you are new or newer to Women World Leaders, I don’t want you to miss out on Voice of Truth, our quarterly magazine full of inspiration, encouragement, and beautiful artwork. We began publishing Voice of Truth in January of 2021. During the height of the pandemic, God orchestrated an amazing team of women writers, editors, artists, and formatters from around the world who were all seeking to produce something that would make a difference in the world. Nearly three years and 13 editions later, by God’s grace, we are still going strong. The feedback we hear from our readers is beyond anything we could have ever hoped or imagined. I’d encourage you to check out our website, www.womenworldleaders.com, where you can view all our back issues digitally for free. And, as we are now preparing our last edition for 2023, which will go out in December, you can still get on the mailing list. Simply, become a monthly donor of any amount on our website, and we will, as a thank you, register you for a subscription to Voice of Truth. But let me encourage you to sign up today, as the subscription list will soon be in the hands of the printer. Women World Leaders is a 501c3 nonprofit, which means that all donations to the ministry are tax-deductible.
On this, our Wednesday edition of the Women World Leaders podcast, we are currently walking through the Gospels, gaining wisdom and knowledge with each and every step. We're currently studying the Sermon on the Mount. Today's teaching comes from Matthew chapter 6:19-34. And Luke 11:34-36. Luke 12:22-34 and Luke 16:13.
Let's pray before we begin.
Dear Most Gracious Father, thank You for this message that you are about to unfold before us today. God we just cherish this time that we set aside to spend with you on a weekly basis. And we want to never take for granted the fact that you allow us to hear from you through Your Word as we gather via technology. So we give you this time, and we ask you to speak clearly. And open our eyes and our hearts to hear you well. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen.
Well, as we walk through the Gospels and take hold of Jesus' teaching to us, today's message probably won't be one you haven't heard before. Simply put, Jesus teaches us to not live our lives in service to money, but to live in service to God, trusting that the money and provision will follow.
We know that we are to walk obediently to God and to trust Him for our provision. But let's be honest, that can be easier said than done.
I grew up trusting in God's provision for me. So, this teaching really didn't come to life for me until after I became a parent. My husband and I both had great jobs, but then I quit mine to be a stay-at-home mom, cutting our income in half.
We knew that we were doing what we were called to do, but financially, it just didn't look good on paper. I remember calling out to God, saying, "God, I am okay with eating cereal every night for dinner. But I want to provide well for my children."
Wherever you are on your walk, new to Christianity or seasoned in the Word, and no matter what part of life you are in, building a career or retired. God wants to remind you today that He Himself, not money, is our true treasure. And He gives us sound reasons why If we should put our trust completely in Him, rather than in our own financial prosperity.
Let's begin in Matthew chapter six verse 19. From the New Living Translation,
Don't store up treasures here on Earth where moths eat them and rust destroys them and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
The first reason we should not put our trust in money or in our own ability to earn money is because we just can't count on material things. They mold, they wear out, they get whisked away, and hurricanes and floods and fires. And they simply don't bring any lasting value to our lives.
On the contrary, when we set our focus on pleasing God and doing what He has asked us to do, we can be assured that He will take care of every need that we have.
I love how Luke states this in chapter 12, verse 33,
The purses of Heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe, no thief can steal it, and no moth can destroy it.
So, the first reason Jesus teaches us we should not put our trust in money is because we can't count on money's lasting value.
The second reason is that putting our trust in money makes us focus on things of the earth and takes our focus off God.
Matthew 6:21 says, Wherever your treasure is, there, the desires of your heart will also be.
We live on this earth we have to eat and send our kids to school, and it's fun to have extra money to go on vacation. God doesn't want to deprive us of those things. But He does want us to trust His provision for them.
When we work for the sole purpose of gaining the things of this earth, the things we gain will never be as valuable or enjoyable as when we work for God and trust His provision.
I'm guessing you've heard the phrase, Don't put a square peg in a round hole. God has created a specific role for each of us to play in this world. When we listen to that calling, though our work may be difficult, the fit we feel will bring us peace and joy that no amount of money made in a way that God did not intend will ever satisfy.
God made you on purpose for a purpose. The devil entices us to reach for the highest paycheck, which will never satisfy us. Let's face it, the more money we get, the more we want. Have you ever heard anyone say that they had enough money? Maybe you have, but that's a rare statement. God however, offers us the option to work where we are called to do what we are called to do. We are made to fit perfectly into our calling: a round peg in a round hole. And for our attention to His call, He promises treasures beyond what the world or the devil could ever supply.
Matthew continues.
Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is.
The third reason why we should not put our trust in money is because when we do, we no longer clearly see what God wants for us and we no longer shine for him.
Luke records it this way in chapter 11 verses 35 and 36. Make sure are that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant. As though a floodlight were filling you with light.
The devil wants us to believe the lie that money is our God. Money will take care of us, get us out of trouble, and bless us with fancy clothes, trips, cars, and even activities and education for our children. That doesn't sound so far-fetched, does it? Money does seem to provide all those things. And yet, we can be assured that this is an illusion. For it is God that truly provides those things.
Money is a tool in God's hands, nothing more. It's imperative that we strive to see this clearly. Meditate on it daily, if you must. God alone is our provider.
When we look to money as our provider, we will sink into a pit of darkness. When we look to God as our provider, we will be filled with light, and our life will be radiant, and we will shine for truth. We must not serve money over God because money does not last. It makes us focus on the things of this earth, and it can plunge us into darkness.
And Jesus continues. It is impossible to serve both money and God at the same time.
Matthew 6:24…
No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other. You will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
We must choose who our God will be. Who will you serve? When we serve God over money, Jesus teaches, all our worries will be washed away.
Verse 25…
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life. Whether you have enough food or drink or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing. Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing. Yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for the wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
Then Jesus gives us the bottom line. Verse 31.
So don't worry about these things saying What will we eat and what will we drink and what will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. But your heavenly Father already knows your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Luke 12:32 records such a beautiful and simple verse, Jesus taught so don't be afraid, little flock, for it gives your father great happiness to give you the kingdom.
After I became a parent, I cried out to God, “God, I can eat cereal for dinner but I want to provide well for my children.”
God said to me, “Don't be afraid, little flock, for it gives your father great happiness to give you the kingdom.”
You see, God has so much more for us than money has to offer. That can be so hard to recognize and understand. Trust me, I know, my husband and I left lucrative jobs and the business world to follow God's call on our lives into ministry.
That was a very stark choice between God and money. Maybe your options don't seem so black and white. But don't be fooled. The devil often works in small ways to get us to turn away from the true blessings that God has to offer us.
Let me be clear that money is not a bad thing. And wealth is not frowned upon by God. But as we go through life, we are to be on guard to never put the love of money above our love for and service to God.
God is more worthy, and He will take care of us better than money ever could. Trust me. And if you don't trust me, trust God's Word. Money will not last, and it has the potential to take your mind off God and plunge you into a dark pit. On the contrary, we can trust that when we serve God as He calls each of us, He will provide for our needs and give us blessings in abundance that will last for eternity. And He will shine his light into our lives, allowing us to see him clearly.
Let's pray.
Dear God, I don't know what each listener is going through today. But simply due to the fact that money and its rewards are fleeting, it's easy to imagine that hardship and suffering is happening across the world on a physical level. Thank you for reminding us that your blessings are eternal. That we can trust you to always provide us with what we need and to care for us in an even more beautiful fashion than you care for the flowers of the field. How amazing it is to think that it brings you happiness to give us the kingdom. Father, forgive us for sometimes putting our faith in things other than you. And thank you for gently correcting us. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
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