“For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.”- Matthew 6:21
“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”- Mark Batterson
As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 15 of All In, he observes that “it is much easier to act like a Christian than it is to react like one. Pastor Batterson adds that the Talmud teaches that there are four kinds of people:
1. The first person says, What’s yours is mine.
2. The second person says, What’s yours is yours.
3. The third person says, What’s mine is mine.
4. And the fourth person says, What’s mine is yours.
Obviously, the first person is covetous. Although the second and third persons appear to be morally neutral, they fail to understand that nothing belongs to us, not even us! The fourth person, however, has discovered that sacrificial giving is the secret to joyful living. We’re simply returning what God has loaned to us in the first place!
The author asserts that the true value of an offering is measured by what we keep, not by how much we give. A sacrifice, by definition, must involve sacrifice. Rather than coveting or accumulating things, that depreciate over time, Pastor Batterson encourages us to invest in those things that will appreciate throughout all eternity.
Today’s question: What earthly treasure has depreciated in importance during your desert, transformational journey? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our jealous God”
