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Today on Inspirational Lifestyles, Cheryl Jackson shares from the devotion “A Faith That Works When Life Doesn’t” by Renown Pastor and Teacher Rick Warren. The topic today is derived from Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Here Luke is telling the believer that wealth is nothing if you can’t share it with those who are less fortunate. in sharing, it gives you an opportunity to represent the kingdom of God. Share your wealth and share the goodness of God. These acts will be stored as treasures in Heaven. After all you have what you have because of the generosity of Christ. Check out what Pastor Warren says about it:
Do You Really Need Everything You Have?
Did you know there’s a bank in heaven?
There is! The book of Luke talks about storing up treasure in heaven. As a Christian, this should be the bank where you make the greatest investments of your time, talent, and resources.
In the book of James, the generosity of God toward his followers is emphasized in five different places. He says everything you have is because of God’s generosity. You’d have nothing if it weren’t for God. You wouldn’t even exist! Every good and perfect gift comes from God—it’s all because of his generosity.
God’s generosity with you should make you generous with other people. You should use what you’ve been given to help others.
Whatever you use to point people to Jesus Christ will be stored in your bank in heaven. You’re making an investment in eternity when you use your resources for the most important thing: helping people have a relationship with God.
One day a very wealthy man came to Jesus and asked him how to prepare for eternity in heaven. This man had far more money than he needed or could even enjoy. He wanted to know how he could have eternal life.
Jesus gave this man some investment advice: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And 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” (Luke 12:33 NLT). In other words, liquidate some of your assets here on earth and send them on ahead to heaven, where your treasure will last forever.
What about you? Do you really need everything you have? Or is Jesus speaking to you through these verses—telling you to give some of what you have to help people who have a lot less?
When you’re generous, it changes your perspective on what you actually need. And, more importantly, every time you choose generosity, you’re storing up treasure in heaven.
(See the full teaching on the Bible App.)
About the Author:
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer. The various ministries Pastor Rick has created are a multi-faceted expression of his heart to bring the whole Gospel to the whole world. Since founding Saddleback Church in 1980, Rick Warren continues to be at the forefront of the evangelical movement, encouraging churches everywhere to be a sanctuary for hope and healing. Connect With Pastor Rick Warren at https://pastorrick.com/
