The Ultimate Return on Investment

Matthew 6:19–21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We are called to be good stewards of what we’ve been given. God has given us all we have and need. After all, everything on this earth belongs to Him (Ps. 24:1). We get to take the gifts we have, whether they are time, treasure, or talent, and use them for God’s Kingdom and to bless others.

Unlike the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) and the Lazy Servant (Matthew 25), we’re called to take care of our finances and be wise. This kind of wisdom allows us to be generous and benefit others. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” As I take care of my primary responsibilities financially and with my time, God calls me to be generous with what I have.

We have at least two motivators to be generous with others. First, it’s a Gospel imperative. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” asks Romans 8:32. The Gospel says God has made us spiritually rich through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ by His grace, when I am called to repent of my sins and believe in Christ. 

I’m now a part of a better kingdom than my own. What He has given me is meant to praise God and bless others because God has given me the best—His Son.

Another motive is long-sightedness. Much of our lives are given to short-sighted desires and instant gratification. Treasures in heaven will outlast possessions that become dusty, rusty, and lost. Our hearts weren’t made to be content with such temporary things. 

C.S. Lewis said, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak… like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

The temporary pleasures of this world cannot bear the weight of our identity or our eternity. At your funeral, no one will commend you for your frugality. A person of generosity makes an impact long after their life is over and enjoys the blessing of eternal rewards from Christ forever. Spurgeon said, “Though you hoard up wealth, gold is nothing but dust to a dying man.” 

You won’t be satisfied with created things, but you can be satisfied by the Creator. So, give your time and your possessions for the benefit of others. After all, “it’s more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35).