The Heart of the Matter

Tell people who are rich at this time not to become egotistical and not to place their hope on their finances, which are uncertain. Instead, they need to hope in God, who richly provides everything for our enjoyment.

-- 1 Timothy 6:17

The numbers are both shocking and sobering. 

According to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2018, cardiovascular disease accounts for about 1 of every 3 deaths in the United States. Approximately 2,300 Americans die from it each day (about one death every 38 seconds). And all told, the condition claims more lives each year than all forms of cancer combined.

It's obvious that our nation--and the whole world, for that matter--faces a cardiac crisis. But there's another serious heart problem that doesn't involve cigarettes, cholesterol management or low-fat diets. Instead, far too many Christ-followers lack a heart that's willing to give generously according to the resources God has richly given them. And when they do open their pocketbooks, it's often done grudgingly.

That's not the example God gives us through the Bible. And if there's a two-word lesson that we can learn from his principles about money and possessions, it's that we should be generous. After all, God is the ultimate giver. Think about the many blessings that he's given us. They vary from person to person but tend to include things like health, job, home, family, friends and church. And of course there's God's ultimate gift: the forgiveness of our sins and an eternal relationship with him through our faith in Jesus.

God also wants everyone to be a cheerful giver--particularly one who refuses to hoard their blessings. But to do that, we must trust him rather than our riches. After all, bank accounts and retirement funds can be wiped out overnight through unexpected circumstances and economic turmoil. Just look at some of the recent headlines about the stock market.

What's the benefit of being generous with our money, time and possessions? 

As the Apostle Paul explains it through the book of 1 Timothy, giving back richly toward God and his purposes renders much more than a warm feeling of satisfaction. Think of it as a guaranteed high-yield investment with dividends that you'll enjoy forever in the world to come. In fact, God challenges us on our preconceived notions about money. Through his design, giving richly results in getting more:

"By doing that, they will be saving a treasure for themselves as a strong foundation for the future," Paul writes. "Then they will be able to have the life that is true life."

It's every Christ-follower's mission to serve as God's hands and feet on Earth by feeding the hungry, healing the sick and housing the homeless. So by making generous giving a spiritual habit and being rich toward God, we'll become more like Jesus to help change our community, the world--and ourselves--for the better. 

That's the heart of the matter.