Spending, Saving, or Investing?

Let’s say you’ve been given $1,000. You are deciding what to do with it. And you’re thinking about either spending it, saving it, or investing it. What is the difference among those three things?

· Spend: Spending involved exchanging what you have for some good (like a pizza) or service (like an uber ride) of equal value. You choose to trade your money for that good or service because to you, the good or service is more important to you at the moment than the money is. If the money was more important, you wouldn’t make the trade.

· Save: Saving involves setting aside a trade of your money for a good or service, in order to spend it at a later time for something else you’d like. Maybe you are setting money aside for a new outfit or a new car.

· Invest: Investing involves setting money aside in order for you to get more money back in the end. You save with the intent on getting your money back with interest.

In the world of finances, there’s a place for each of these, as well as a place for giving. The Bible has a LOT to say about money, and the passage in Matthew 6:19-24, which we are going to look at tonight, sure seems to be talking about money. But in reality, Jesus here is talking about PERSPECTIVE. A way to see the world. A way to consider your life.

Matthew 6:19-24
“19Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

In verse 19, Jesus tells us to not lay up for ourselves treasures on earth. It’s better rendered, “Stop storing up treasures for yourself!” Commentator R. T. French says of this verse, “A present imperative in the negative often implies that the act prohibited is already occurring, as against an aorist subjunctive, used to prevent something contemplated but not yet actual.” What does THAT mean? It means that the tense of the Greek is talking about STOPPING something you’ve already started doing, instead of choosing not to do something that hasn’t started yet. In other words, Jesus is telling us that we are ALREADY storing up treasures for ourselves, and He is imploring us to stop doing that.

Now, there are two reasons for why we should not be pursuing the storing up of material possessions and earthly wealth. First, because, as the old adage goes, “You can’t take it with you.” It’s a temporary thing. It goes away faster than you can snap your fingers. There are hundreds of professional athletes who sign multi-million dollar contracts and then within a few years are completely broke. According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article, 78% of former NFL players face bankruptcy or financial stress within two years after retirement. Allen Iverson, Evander Holyfield, Terrell Owens, and Sheryl Swoopes are just some examples of star millionaire athletes who lost it all after retirement.

So Jesus is warning us against pursing something that is temporary – here today, gone tomorrow. But there’s a second reason, and it runs much deeper. Namely, pursuing earthly wealth and material possessions reflects one’s heart. What are your priorities? What do you LOVE? What are you most after?

What are some reasons that people tend to pursue earthly wealth and material possessions?

· Security – We want our needs taken care of without worry.

· Personal esteem – We think more highly of ourselves if we have nicer clothes, a bigger bank account, fancier cars, etc.

· Power and Independence – If you have more money, you think you have more control over your life; that you don’t have to rely on others.

· Pleasure – More money = more play time and more fun. You can take trips, buy luxury items, etc.

There is nothing inherently wrong with each of these things. However, they can reflect a heart that seeks the gratification of ourselves, instead of pursing the things of God. In Mark 4, in the parable of the sower, Jesus talks about the seed that falls on the thorny ground. As the plant grows, the weeds grow around it, and choke the life out of the plant, and the plant dies. Jesus says one of the things that is a “weed” or a “thorn” that chokes out our spiritual life is the “deceitfulness of riches”. Why are riches “deceitful”?

Jesus here in Matthew 6 reminds us that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. When we seek material gain, it is an indication that our heart is not in the right place. And it’s not possible to have your heart set on both money and God.

So the question really is: What is your life going to be about? Are you going to spend your life – giving your life in exchange for something of equal value, are you going to save your life – try to gain as much as you can here and now, or are you going to invest your life – living in such a way as to multiply your life?

This last option is what God calls us to do. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the master entrusts his wealth to three stewards, each of whom is granted a certain amount to take care of. The first two multiply their wealth for the master, but the third one doesn’t. And the master returns to praise the first two, but has harsh words for the last one. The expectation is that we would multiply our lives.

Now, according to Jesus in Matthew 6:20, what kind of treasure should we be pursuing?

God talks all the time about pursuing heavenly things. Eternal things. Not earthly or temporary things. And so in the end, this is a call to having an ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE. A call to see your life for eternity, not just for the time being.


Discussion
1. What are some things that are eternal in nature?

2. Why do these things make good investments?

3. How can you invest in your relationship with God? What are some practical things you can do in this area?

4. How can you invest in God’s Word? How much time do you take in God’s Word on a weekly basis?

5. What does it mean to invest in people?

6. Who are some people in your life right now that you can invest in?

7. What are the benefits to YOU for making these investments in these three key areas? Think eternally and during your time here on earth.

8. Read 2 Timothy 2:2 – How do you see this principle of investing in eternal things playing out in this passage?

9. Read 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 – What does this speak to in terms of eternal reward?