Today we conclude the series The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure.

Matthew 13:44 (NKJV) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” As a point of review, let’s look at some of the keys we have learned in this series. Maybe you have forgotten this but even one of our Distinctives as a church is Generous Giving. Randy Alcorn – “Our approach to money and possessions is central to our spiritual lives. Anything we try to hang on to here will be lost. But anything we put in God’s hands will be ours for eternity. You can’t take it with you—but you can send it on ahead of you.” Psalm 24:1 (NLT2) ¹ The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. This is so powerful…even the poor can be generous. 2 Corinthians 8:2 (NIV) “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” 

My heart always goes where I put God’s money. What we do with our money doesn’t simply indicate where our hearts are, according to Jesus, it determines where our hearts go. Our hearts follow our treasure. Where we invest our treasure largely determines where we put our treasure. We have to realize that this earth is not our home, we are only passing through. Philippians 3:20 (NIV) ^“But our citizenship is in heaven…” We need to consider our giving is absolutely worship to God. 2 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV) ^“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” Alcorn – “God prospers me not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving.” 

Let me challenge with a few things to help you lay up treasure in Heaven and how to live generously.

1. A good place to start is being faithful with the tithe and with something for missions.

2. If you have never made a Faith Promise to missions, do it. You will be so glad.

3. If the amount you give above your tithe to missions is merely a token, double it and watch God.

4. Look for and pray for opportunities to be generous in the church and outside the church.

5. Prayerfully ask God what it really means to lay up treasures in Heaven.

6. Finally, find someone or some ministry to bless this week with a generous love gift.