Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.     Matthew 6:19-21 HCSB

Our former pastor did a sermon on this passage and said you can always tell what is important to someone by where they spend their time and money. And most of us complain that we don’t have enough of either. If only there were more hours in the day or if only, I made more money. A friend once said it doesn’t matter if we make more money because then we will simply spend more money.

It’s important that we budget both our time and our money. We should also be sure to give God a portion of each because we receive both from Him. Many people believe we should tithe ten percent. Many argue that this is Old Testament rules and it doesn’t have to be ten percent now. I tithe ten percent because that’s how my mom taught me to do it. I also have never gone without, and God has brought me through some scary financial situations. So, I will continue to give ten percent. Also, I’m not that great at math and it’s easy to calculate ten percent.

Then there is a matter of our time. We work; we have families and responsibilities. What we don’t have is time. We must remember, however, that our families and our jobs are gifts from God. And we must also remember to make time for Him. We should spend time each day in Bible reading and prayer.

I think it’s important that from time to time we do a little check-up to see where our time and money are going. One nifty little feature on our iPhone is the weekly activity tracker. It tells us how much time each day we spend on our phone. It also tells us where we are spending this time such as social media, our Bible app, calculator, etcetera. Many complain that we have no time, yet our weekly activity tracker may indicate that we spend 2 hours a day playing games on our phones or engaging in social media. Imagine if you spent just a fourth of that time in prayer and Bible study. It could change your life, literally.

We also need to be aware of where our money is going. Go through your accounts and look at what you are spending your money on and see how it matches up to your tithe and offerings. Our tithe is the portion of our income we give back, and offerings are anything on top of that. Do you have money for gourmet coffees and eating out but no money for tithes and offerings?

Then look at how much time you spend with the Lord and how much time you spend doing His work. Do you spend time helping others and participating in ministries like maybe a youth group or food pantry?

If you strive for human approval and earthly rewards, you have received your reward here on earth (Matthew 6:2). Strive for rewards in heaven. Store up treasures for yourself in heaven. This is where we will spend eternity. So, you must ask yourself do you want temporary rewards here on earth or permanent rewards in heaven?

Every day and every dime we receive here on earth is a gift from God. We should willingly give a portion of each of these back to Him.

Also remember, that with everything we give to Him, He will bless it and we may actually find we have more.

Where we spend our time and our money says a whole lot about what is important to us. Look at where you are spending both and see if it points more toward self-satisfaction or toward glorifying Him.

I get it. My mantra used to be, “I don’t have time,” or “I can’t afford to”. But I’ve learned that when it comes to pleasing the Lord we can’t afford not to.

Have a great day!