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(upbeat music) - Drive Time Devotions is a Saddleback Church podcast. We want to
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com for locations and service times in your area. Please visit us this weekend.
- We're in First Timothy chapter six, day four, verses 17 to 19, and we're going
back to something he talked about, Paul talked about earlier in the chapter.

We're going back to a look at the importance of the way that we handle our
financial resources. Verses 17 to 19 are some of the most practical verses in
all of scripture about how to handle resources that God might have put into your
hands. Listen to verses 17 to 19.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put
their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, to put their hope in God, who
richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good,
to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share. In this way,
they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming
age so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Now, I want you to notice from the very beginning in these verses that Paul does
not command us to not have material resources. He commands us instead about how
to handle those resources that God might have put into our hands. Command those
who are rich in this present world.

Well, if you're listening to this, that's you. If you're able to listen to a
podcast, that's you. In a world where the majority of people make less than $2 a
day, the fact that you have that kind of a resource, that means you're rich in
this present world.

Maybe not as rich as you'd like to be, maybe not rich in comparison to your
neighbors, but rich in this present world. So what do I do when I have some
things, some things to manage, some things to take care of? How do I handle it?

Paul says, here's two things that you do. First, you enjoy what God has given.
Secondly, you give of what God has given.

First, you enjoy what God has given. He says, I want you to enjoy what God has
richly provided for you. Now, in order to do that, he talks about in verse 17,
two guaranteed ways to suck the joy right out of your life.

First, arrogance, and second, putting your hope in wealth. First, arrogance,
thinking that you've earned it. You're not going to enjoy what God has given if you
think you've earned it because you don't see it as what God has given.

So how can you enjoy it as what God has given? You think it's something that you
have earned. It's amazing.

When we've earned it, it becomes a source of pride rather than a source of joy.
And I have to have more and more instead of being able to enjoy what God has
given. So he says, don't be arrogant.

Remember, God has given so much to you. And by the way, it's a blessing. You say
it's all you, but God gave you the ideas.

God gave you the strength. God gave you the mind. God gave you the opportunity
of where you were born.

And to arrogantly think, oh, these poor people in the world, you weren't born in
that circumstance. You weren't born with that kind of mind. You weren't born
with those kind of handicaps they might have physically.

So don't be arrogant. And he says, don't put your hope in wealth, which is so
uncertain. I know many of you listening to this, you could give a testimony
about how uncertain wealth is.

And putting your hope in wealth, that's putting your hope in something that can
be lost. You put your hope in anything that can be lost in a person, in a house,
in a salary, in a job. You put your hope in anything that can be lost in this
world.

You put your hope in the wrong thing. Hope has to be put in something that can't
be lost, the love that God has for you, the eternity that he has promised to
you. You don't put your hope in wealth, but you put your hope in God.

And when you do that, you realize he is a God who has richly provided us
everything for our enjoyment. And I can enjoy the food that he's given. I can
enjoy the way that I can be blessed by him in order to enjoy what he's made even
in this world.

Heaven's going to be perfect. This world isn't perfect, but I can still enjoy some
of the things that God has made in this world. And when I do, I should smile,
realizing it's what he has done.

Enjoying what God has given is part of handling the things that God has put into
your life. When I act guilty about everything that God has given into my life,
and some people do, I can't enjoy anything that he's given. Eventually, you're
not going to want to be around God anymore.

Who wants to be around someone who always makes you feel guilty about what you
have? So you enjoy what God has given, but that's not all. You also give of what
God has given.

This is crucial, because giving is the antidote to materialism. That's the way
that you fight materialism in your life. And giving is an investment in
eternity.

The material things I have in this life, they're only going to last as long as this
life. So the Bible says you give happily to those in need by always being ready
to share whatever God has given this. Living Bible translates this.

By doing this, you're storing up real treasure for yourselves in heaven. It is
the only safe investment for eternity. Now, it talks here about treasure in
heaven.

What is this, this treasure in heaven? Treasure in heaven confuses some people,
'cause they think, well, wait, wait. In heaven, won't we have all our needs met?

Why do I need some kind of treasure in heaven? In fact, if it's true that I'm
going to have some kind of treasure in heaven, doesn't that mean that other people
would be jealous of the things that I have and they don't have? Let me clear up
all of that.

This treasure that's being talked about here, it is not about your needs. It is
about giving glory to God. The treasure in heaven is greater capacity to serve
God for eternity.

It's more people praising him for eternity, because you've shared your faith
with them, maybe even using your financial means to get to a place, to go to a
place where you could share your faith. The treasure that's talked about in
heaven is greater glory to God, and that is a treasure that we can all rejoice
in. It's not a treasure where I'm going to have it and you're not.

It's a treasure in heaven that we all rejoice in together, and I want to bring
more joy into heaven for eternity. It's what's going to last. I like to enjoy
things on this earth.

I should enjoy things here on this earth. That's what these verses say, but I
also should enjoy, build joy for what's going to happen forever. Now, these verses
are written to those who are surrounded by material things, and they tell us how
to have faith when you're surrounded by material things.

How do you handle the temptation of the possession of things? If you try to
build your life around things, they will begin to overwhelm your life. How do
you handle it?

Paul says, here's what you do. Command them to do good, to be rich in good
works, to be generous, to be willing to share. You go after God, you do what
these verses say.

You do good, you help others, you give. You give of what God has given, as well
as enjoying what God has given. Now, one version when it says give says, be
extravagantly generous.

That's because generosity is extravagant. You can't be miserly extravagant. In
order to be generous, there is an extravagance to it.

And who doesn't like to be extravagant? I love to go out to an extravagant meal,
especially if you happen to be paying for it. I love that.

Everybody loves that. Who wouldn't love to go on an extravagant vacation?
There's something in all of us that loves extravagance.

This verse reminds us that when it comes to extravagance, there is no better
extravagance to bring joy to your life than extravagantly giving. How do I know
that? Because Jesus told us.

Jesus said there is more happiness in giving than in receiving. I love that
verse 'cause it's so practically clear. Jesus was honest.

He said there's more happiness in giving. He didn't say there's no happiness in
receiving. There is some happiness in receiving.

Of course there is. We all realize that. But Jesus said there is more happiness
in giving.

That's not the way most of the world thinks. But the truth is, the greatest joy
of life is not in what you earn. The greatest joy in life is in what you give.

That's where your greatest joys will always come from. The greatest joy in life
comes from being an extravagant giver. When you make the decision to give, it
brings more joy to your life than anyone else.

I mean, you make the decision not to give, it holds joy at bay in your life.
When you make the decision to give, it builds a wall and a barrier against this
temptation to materialism. You ever look at your kids and you become concerned
that they might become materialistic?

You should think about that. I know I did when our kids were growing up. They
had more things around them than I did when I was growing up.

How do you make sure that your kids don't become materialistic? Well, the truth
is, you can be materialistic whether you have a lot or you have a little. But
the way that you make sure that they don't become materialistic is by your
example.

You give and you teach them to give. You teach them that the things that God
puts into our lives are just tools. They're tools to be used not only to bless
us, but also to bless other people.

And when you teach them to see things in that way, by giving, and by the way,
that's the only way to teach that, then you break the grip of materialism in
their life. That is the power, that is the power that giving has. If you think
you're not susceptible to the temptation to chase after being rich, to the
temptations of materialism, hello, you're a human being.

We all have that temptation. It's part of the human condition. Materialism is
like a swarm of mosquitoes, I always think of, that's constantly around us.

And you will get bit because it's always flying around you. What you need is
like some spiritual bug spray. And 1 Timothy 6, verses 17 to 19, it's sort of
God's spiritual bug spray, his spiritual off from materialism.

It's like he says, you want to get rich? And that's us, that's you, then you need
to do this. You go after God, it's like, you spray that on.

You do good, that's like, spray that on. You help others, that's a spray. You be
extravagantly generous, you keep spraying on the bug spray.

'Cause unless you spray it on, the mosquitoes are going to get you. You're not
protected without doing these things in your life against materialism. But when
you do these things, you are protected against the temptation to materialism.

Let's take a minute to talk to Jesus who's given so much to us. Lord, I admit
it, I can be tempted by things so easily. I can be tempted to think I deserve
that, or I want that, or I need that to meet a need in my life.

And Lord, you've told us to enjoy the things you put into life. You don't mind
when we enjoy what you've made, what you've done, and what you've given. But
Lord, you've also told us to give.

So help us to be givers and not hoarders. Help us to be those who recognize that
our contentment is found by the simple things you've already given, and you
don't feel like we need more in order to be satisfied or fulfilled in life. And
because of that, God, help us to truly enjoy what you've given, and truly give
out of what you've given.

Extravagantly give, sacrificially give, because we live in a world where there
are needs, and you care about those needs. Help us to see how we can be a part
of meeting those needs by giving through your church and to those who are in
need. Help us to recognize when we do that, Jesus, we are worshiping you, we're
serving you, we're responding to what you've done in our hearts.

Thank you, Jesus, in your name, amen. And don't miss tomorrow, the last verses
of chapter six and our last look at the book of 1 Timothy.