Title: One Who Lays Up Treasures in Heaven
Contents
And when preaching, I especially say to the church members, “Saints, today I am preaching an offering. Even if it is burdensome, please listen carefully. ' he asked politely.
However, years later, as I continued to read and understand the Word of God, I discovered that it was wrong. The reason is that in the commandment, 'You shall not commit adultery. Not to steal is a command from God, and disobeying it is a sin. Likewise, offering is a command from God. Some words are a sermon only once a year because I feel sorry for the believers, and some words are burdensome. I thought that it would be wrong to say that I can preach at any time because I don't have one.
In fact, it is true that hearing sermons about offerings is usually a burden to believers. The reason is that it is an expense, which is counted as a minus from what I own. But we all need to be clear about something.
That is, the true owner of all assets, including the real estate we own, does not belong to the individual, but to the Father, who created the heavens and the earth.
In that case, we are nothing more than stewards of what our Heavenly Father has entrusted to us. Nevertheless, many people are exercising their property rights according to their will, saying what are you saying when my name is listed in the registered copy of the register or the land ledger.
However, when a person dies, some of the property is inherited and it is natural to take some, but no one can take it with them when they die. Born empty-handed, for the first time breathing and crying, and then dying, breathing is cut off, and going empty-handed is our life.
The Bible says, "Everything in heaven and earth is Yours... Riches and ears are from You, and authority and power are in Your hand." 1 Chronicles 29:11 et seq., and the poet also Psalm 49 Verse 12 says, “The world and its fulness are mine.”
“Everything that exists in the underworld belongs to God. That is why people should humbly live with a good stewardship attitude, thinking that God has entrusted me with my life.
Therefore, all life has to choose between hoarding wealth and living a selfish and pleasurable life for me, or I will have to choose whether to become a hoarder of treasures in heaven.
Money is not inherently bad. In capitalist society, money itself is not viewed negatively. When you have money, you can not only provide basic food, clothing and shelter, but also educate and support your children, improve the quality of life, lead a stable life, and help others and live comfortably in old age.
Without money, you cannot participate in good works. That is why money should not be underestimated or condemned. The reason I do my best at the task given to me is because there is an expectation that the reward will come back as much as the hard work. This is a gift given by God. It is God's law that you reap what you work for, and that you reap your income with joy as much as you sow seeds with tears.
Money is a good thing, but when misused it has a terrible poison. At the same time, the more you accumulate, the more greedy you become. So the Bible is very strict when it comes to wealth.
2 Timothy 6:17-18 says, “Command those who are rich in this generation not to be high-minded, and not to put their hope in unrequited riches, but to put their hope in God, who gives us abundantly all things to enjoy, to do good and to do good. Be rich, give-and-take, and sympathetic.” He told Timothy to command those who were relatively wealthy in the days of the Early Church.
Please, speak firmly, not softly, for fear of hurting them or hurting them. It tells us to set our hearts on God, not money, and do good deeds. If they obey the commandments, they will obey God and receive blessings; otherwise, they will disobey God and become scourges.
As such, the Bible takes money seriously. That's because money has a risky component. We deal with many riches while we live in the world. Assuming that you earn an average of 1.5 million won a month, in 30 years, the principal alone is 540 million won, and if you include other income such as interest, it is at least close to 600 million, which is by no means a small amount of money. How can I use this money in my life to become rich toward God?
Today's verse exhorts us to lay up treasures in heaven. At the conclusion of the parable of the rich man in Luke 12:21, it is said, “So is everyone who lays up wealth for himself and is not rich toward God.” For those who are stingy in helping and just live a hedonistic life that they eat, drink and enjoy, not only will death suddenly come one day, but they will not be able to enter the kingdom of God and fall into darkness with regret.
Therefore, to be rich toward God means to accumulate precious and precious treasures in the kingdom of God. Also in Matthew 6:33, we are told to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Therefore, to want the kingdom of God to come to this earth, and to spend money first for this is to become rich toward God.
The message given through the parable of the talents is that we should use our wealth well for good works and multiply it twice so that it may be in the hands of God later. I am telling you to be sympathetic.
Putting these various words together, to be rich toward God means to use the wealth in this world for what God wants, and to be praised when we stand before God. It means to please God. This is what it means to be rich toward God.
It is a very low-level way of thinking to think that I am free to use what I have earned because of my hard work.
Warren Buffett of the United States, known as an investment genius, declared that he would donate 85% of his fortune to five charities. We will focus on that,” he said.
He has already donated more than 30 trillion won, and when he dies, he will leave only 5% of his fortune as an inheritance to his children and donate 95% to the state. We still donate 60% of our income. There is a reason why he donates so much money to invest in the poor, education, and welfare.
Once, a senior businessman came to me and gave me this advice. "Bill, make sure you remember that putting so much money in the bank is the most unfortunate thing you can do with money." Bill Gates was so moved by those words that he started donating 60% of his fortune from then on.
This statement does not apply only to the global chaebol. That applies to all of us. Is there anyone who has lived enough to live his life and continues to focus on increasing his wealth even though the Lunar New Year is very near before God? If there is such a person, think carefully.
If there is one thing we need to practice in order to become rich before God, toward God, it is an offering. The most simple yet easy thing anyone can do is donate. The complete tithe offering, feasts, and thanksgiving offerings commanded by the Bible are not optional or not, but obedience that every Christian should participate in. We can become rich in God's sight by setting appropriate offerings before God.
There is a reason why donations are such a priority. Offering is a worship service in which we give our hearts to God who has given us salvation. The basic element of worship that we give thanks for the salvation God has given us is the offering. Because there is a heart in it. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). In fact, all of us have money in our hearts.
Therefore, if you truly want to give your heart to God, you must come out with the material God has given you. In the Old Testament times, it was forbidden to come empty-handed and offer sacrifices. And he said, "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of your produce" (Proverbs 3:9).
When you give to God as an offering, you honor God. Remember that no matter how diligent you are, if you are stingy with your offerings, your heart will be lost in worship. Why is giving important? Because it becomes a commitment to share in God's good works. It is the dedication of ourselves to the good work of God. What is God's wish? God's name is exalted. What are our wishes?
At the same time, why the tithe offering is important is because it is an act of confession that all income and possessions that I have, which I own and that I give a tenth of the income I earned through hard work, belong to God, and it is what sets them apart.
The church is a community that bears witness to the gospel, cares for the poor, sends missionaries, nurtures believers, and worships God. And it is a community that is used to expand the kingdom of God on this earth.
But I can't afford to do this with empty hands. We need money to send missionaries, serve our neighbors, nurture talents, and raise and educate our descendants in faith.
As such, offering is a holy day of devoting ourselves to the good work of God.
Poet Ho-seung Jeong said, “Empty hands save people’s lives. In order for me to hold someone's hand, my hand must be empty. In order to do God's work, my hands must be empty. I cannot do the work of the Lord if I hold many things in my hands. I must give it to the Lord and become empty-handed. Then you can do life-saving work.
We all want to be rich in the kingdom of God rather than being rich in the world. So when we go to the Lord's kingdom, I pray in the name of the Lord that all the saints will dance hand in hand there.