These last few weeks, as we've heard God's Word from Colossians 1 and John 6, I have been challenged to consider how much I live in complete dependence and trust in my All-Sufficient Savior. He is the radiance of the glory of God. And yet He humbled Himself to death on a cross for us. He is the Bread of Life, giving us all that we need each day - food, clothing, shelter, faith to fight particular sins, empowerment for work and ministry, patience with children and coworkers, and ourselves, and so much more!

What more do we need? And yet our hearts can be drawn to what we want. There are a lot of things that we think we need (more money, a nicer car, a bigger house), that God hasn't currently provided for, and so we go about trying to obtain it ourselves. And that's where we can get into trouble. It's not that it's wrong to want or to have these things, but how easy it is for these things to diminish our focus on Christ and to begin to live in dependence on them, instead of Him.

In the passage (Matt 6:19-24) we're going to look at in Promise Kingdom (lesson #16) this week, Jesus tells us that "no one can serve two masters." If we begin to put our trust in money or what it can buy, our love for the Lord is pushed aside. But if our love and delight are focused on Jesus, it's much harder for money to capture our attention.

So I have two practical applications from this. First, make sure your treasure is in Christ, and not in stuff. How much time do you spend fostering your love for the Lord - reading the Bible, memorizing it, praying, worshipping throughout your day? Now how much of your time each day is dedicated to the acquisition and spending of money? Obviously, God's provision for us comes through work, and we also have to use that money to buy groceries, pay mortgage, etc. But again, are we doing these things in a way that reflects God's character as the great Giver and as an act of worship? Or are we simply earning and spending money?

Second, make sure you have a plan to be intentional about the resources God provides. We have to use money to get the things we need. There's no way around that - unless you hide away somewhere in the mountains and make or grow everything you need - but even then, you have to buy something!

You Need A Budget

The best way to be intentional about your money is to have a budget. A budget is simply having a plan for every dollar God provides. It doesn't have to be a perfect plan - just a plan. And I'm not talking about tracking money either. I used to use Quicken for my finances and had everything catagorized. At the end of the month, I could tell you how much we spent in each catagory. But that didn't help us adjust spending in the middle of the month, nor did it tell us how much money we had available to spend.

About five years ago I found software that actually helped us budget. It wasn't perfect, but I can't imagine how we would have made it financially without it. Then about 2-3 years ago I found YNAB (You Need A Budget) and it has gradually increased our understanding of and ability to stick to a budget. It is software for a Mac or PC, with apps for mobile devices as well. Lilli and I both have it installed on our phones, so that, whenever we make a purchase, we immediately enter it into the app and it syncs across our devices. Now, wherever we are, we can look at our phone, see how much money we have left to spend in each catagory, and make an informed buying decision.

Not only does it give us a more accurate reflection of how much money we have to spend, but every month we get an opportunity to prioritize what God has provided in a way that maximizes His glory - and therefore this is one way to help us use money to treasure Christ, and not treasure money.

You may have your own system for budgeting that works for you (feel free to share in the comment section). And I'm sure some of you are better at budgeting than I am - I know we have a couple Dave Ramsey experts out there! But if you've never budgeted before, or need help setting one up, I'd be glad to help.

Learning to treasure Christ more with you,

Pastor Jonathan