VISION: Joy & Money
As the Apostle Paul writes this fund raising letter to the Corinthians, he points out in Chapter 9 that our generosity is uniquely connected to the level of joy in our life. He illustrates that generosity is not a result of wealth or plenty by the telling the story of the Macedonians being incredibly generous not because of law or obligation, but because of the grace of God. Fundamentally, the gospel should be our motivation and purpose for our giving, so it’s Jesus that we look to and cling as he was generous on our behalf.
VISION: Heart & Money
We have been promised eternal treasure in Christ, but often we cling to and treasure lesser, temporal things. In this text, Jesus diagnoses our condition as blindness to our own greed and materialism. The only hope for us is to be under a new Master. Merely being more generous and less materialistic is not the cure. The only cure is Jesus and his transforming power in our lives.