2026 The Mission (Rich Toward God): Pastor Mariam Gonzalez

Devotional

Day 1: Morning Mercies in the Midst of Lament

Jeremiah sits in Jerusalem’s ruins, ash on his face, yet declares: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases.” He names God’s mercies as “new every morning” even as famine grips the city. The prophet chooses to recount God’s faithfulness louder than his despair. His pen scratches hope into parchment: “The LORD is my portion.” [00:16]

God’s mercy isn’t a general promise but a daily gift. Like manna for wilderness wanderers, He gives just enough grace for today’s battles. Jesus demonstrated this rhythm—rising early to receive fresh bread from the Father before healing multitudes.

When anxiety whispers about tomorrow’s lack, interrupt it with today’s portion. Open your hands each dawn instead of clutching yesterday’s worries. What specific fear do you need to replace with “The LORD is my portion” today?

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
(Lamentations 3:22–23, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for one specific mercy He gave you today—a conversation, a provision, a moment of peace.
Challenge: Write “The LORD is my portion” on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it hourly.

Day 2: Wealth That Rusts, Hands That Give

Paul grips Timothy’s shoulder in Ephesus’ bustling marketplace. “Charge the rich not to set hope on uncertain riches,” he insists, pointing to merchants haggling over silk and silver. “God gives all things to enjoy—but hold them loosely.” He paints true wealth as generosity: “Be rich in good works.” [09:50]

Money lies about its permanence. Stocks crash. Emergencies drain savings. Yet God’s generosity never fluctuates—He “richly provides” not just needs, but joys: sunsets, laughter, shared meals. Jesus showed this by multiplying loaves not for profit, but for community.

Audit your security sources. Does your budget reflect more trust in emergency funds than the Provider? Where could you loosen your grip to share?

“As for the rich in this present age…they are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future.”
(1 Timothy 6:17–19, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one area where you’ve trusted possessions over God. Ask for freedom to give.
Challenge: Give away one item you’ve been clinging to—a book, tool, or garment—to someone in need.

Day 3: Idle Factories and Eternal Foundations

Tim Keller’s words echo in Ephesus’ shadow: “The heart is an idol factory.” A merchant kneels before a statue of Artemis, praying for profit. Paul redirects: “Take hold of true life” by imitating God’s generosity. Wealth isn’t evil—but worshiping it strangles the soul. [15:47]

God designed good things to point to Him, not replace Him. Jesus told the rich young ruler, “Sell all,” not because poverty saves, but to expose his heart’s throne. When we give, we dethrone idols.

What “good thing” have you made ultimate? How could redirecting it (through sharing, limiting use, or thanking God for it) break its power?

“Thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
(1 Timothy 6:19, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one idol disguised as a blessing.
Challenge: Text a friend: “What’s one way I can practically serve you this week?” Do it.

Day 4: When the Diagnosis Comes

A man stares at a hospital bill—his 1,000,000-peso savings vanishing. Paul’s warning rattles: “Don’t hope in uncertainty.” In Jerusalem, Jesus watches a widow drop two coins into the temple treasury—her “all” resting on God’s faithfulness. [13:42]

Crises test where we’ve built. Bank accounts crack, but “God richly provides” remains bedrock. The healed leper didn’t clutch his restored health; he returned to thank the Healer.

Where does your mind race when crisis hits? Panicked calculations or surrendered prayers? What if you faced one fear today with “God is my portion” as your mantra?

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
(Hebrews 13:5, ESV)

Prayer: Name one looming crisis. Pray: “God, be enough here.”
Challenge: Write down three past crises God carried you through. Thank Him for each.

Day 5: Broke Worshipers and True Life

The Ephesian church’s coins clink into the offering box. Paul whispers to Timothy: “True life isn’t found in abundance.” Jesus watches a widow give her last coins—her worship louder than the rich’s showy donations. She walks away empty-handed but full-hearted. [17:35]

Generosity isn’t about amount but allegiance. God owns all cattle on a thousand hills—He doesn’t need our money. But giving breaks greed’s grip. The early church sold fields not to earn favor, but to fuel love.

What’s one step you can take today to “store up treasure” in heaven? Could you tip double, forgive a debt, or fund a need anonymously?

“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share…so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
(1 Timothy 6:18–19, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to make you joyfully generous, not guilt-driven.
Challenge: Buy groceries for someone today—a neighbor, single parent, or street vendor.

Sermon Summary

Lamentations 3 names the ground under every anxious and restless soul. The text says the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never end, and they are new every morning. The image of morning sets the tone. As sure as the sunrise, the Lord’s faithfulness holds. The line “The Lord is my portion” teaches the soul to speak hope. The gift of a new day comes with fresh grace, fresh mercy, and fresh guidance, so the soul can say, lack will not define today because God himself is the portion.

1 Timothy 6:17 to 19 then charges the rich in this present age. Paul does not condemn wealth. Paul reorients the heart. In Ephesus, like any wealthy city, money easily becomes identity, security, even an idol. Paul names the real pull. Financial stability promises, if the account hits that number, the soul will feel safe. “Set your hope” is the issue. Riches are uncertain. Money is fickle, tied to markets, wars, and health crises that can drain a lifetime of savings in a moment. Hope needs a firmer anchor.

God becomes that anchor. God richly provides everything to enjoy. Not only bare needs, but joy. The problem is not good things. The problem is trusting good things more than the Giver. The human heart, as an idol factory, can turn gifts into gods and then fall under them. Paul’s antidote is generosity. The text pictures people rich in good works, generous and ready to share, not out of guilt but out of security that sits deeper than any balance sheet. That life stores up real treasure and builds a foundation for the future. “That which is truly life” is found in the presence of the One who owns it all.

The diagnostic is simple. Where does anxiety run when income feels thin or the budget gets tight. Follow that anxiety, and the true hope will show itself, whether in connections, quick loans, or easy money. The invitation is to loosen the grip, look to God, and trust him. Hebrews 13:5 seals the call. Keep life free from the love of money. Be content with what is at hand. God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Key Takeaways

1. The Lord is the soul’s portion. The text teaches the soul to talk back to lack and to name God as the enoughness that cannot run out. When the portion is God himself, tomorrow’s uncertainties stop setting today’s temperature. Identity rests where the sunrise cannot fail, and hope follows. This confession turns anxiety into prayer and worship. [01:23]
2. Riches are stubbornly uncertain. Paul names money as unreliable, not evil. Markets swing, wars ripple, and sickness can empty accounts in a blink. Any hope built there will shake when those things shake. A wiser heart seeks a foundation that can carry weight when everything else gives way. [12:30]
3. God provides gifts to enjoy. Scripture calls God the lavish Giver, not the stingy auditor. Enjoyment is not the enemy of holiness; idolatry is. Joy becomes holy when the gift returns the heart to the Giver, not when the gift replaces him. Gratitude frees enjoyment from fear and clutching. [14:50]
4. Generosity protects the trusting heart. Open hands grow from a settled trust in God, and those same open hands keep the heart from hardening around wealth. Generosity trains desire to love people over possessions and eternity over optics. In that practice, treasure relocates to a future that will not fail. [16:06]
5. Follow anxiety to hidden hopes. Anxiety is a map to the god the heart is serving. When money fears spike, the direction those fears run exposes the real refuge, whether quick credit or quiet control. Freedom begins by seeing that refuge and choosing, again, the God who will not forsake. [17:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:16] - Steadfast love, new mercies
[01:10] - Gift of a new morning
[09:00] - Reading 1 Timothy 6:17-19
[10:09] - Ephesus: wealth and status
[11:06] - When money becomes identity
[12:30] - The uncertainty of riches
[14:30] - Hope fixed on God
[14:50] - God provides everything to enjoy
[15:47] - The heart as an idol factory
[16:06] - Generosity guards the heart
[16:43] - Storing true treasure, true life
[17:35] - Follow anxiety to its root
[19:25] - Loosen the grip, trust God
[23:45] - Hebrews 13:5 benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
- 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV): "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life."
- Hebrews 13:5 (ESV): "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"

Observation Questions

What imagery does Lamentations 3:22-23 use to describe God’s faithfulness, and how does it contrast with human circumstances?
According to 1 Timothy 6:17-19, what specific actions does Paul instruct the wealthy to take, and what does he warn them to avoid?
How does Hebrews 13:5 connect contentment with trust in God’s presence?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Paul emphasize the "uncertainty of riches" (1 Tim. 6:17) as a reason to avoid placing hope in wealth? What modern examples mirror this instability?
Lamentations 3:22-23 says God’s mercies are "new every morning." How does this daily renewal address the anxieties of an uncertain future?
The sermon mentions that generosity "trains desire to love people over possessions" [16:06]. How does this align with Paul’s call to be "rich in good works" (1 Tim. 6:18)?

Application Questions

What daily practice could help you remind yourself that "the Lord is [your] portion" when financial stress or scarcity arises? [01:23]
When you feel anxious about money, where does your mind instinctively turn for security (e.g., savings, connections, quick fixes)? What step could you take to redirect that focus to God’s faithfulness? [17:35]
Identify one practical way to grow in generosity this week—even if resources feel limited. How might this act loosen the grip of materialism? [16:06]
Hebrews 13:5 calls us to "be content with what you have." What is one area of your life where discontentment creeps in, and how could you actively cultivate gratitude there?
The sermon warns that "idolatry begins when gifts replace the Giver" [15:47]. What good thing in your life (e.g., career, relationships, possessions) risks becoming an idol? How can you enjoy it without clinging to it?

Sermon Clips

48s

“See, he ended by saying that life, which is truly life, is not really found in the abundance of our wealth or our assets, but it's finding home and security in the presence of the one true God who truly owns it all and to be recipients of his generosity reminds us that we too can be a channel of the same generosity. We can be like our father. We may be rich. We may have more than enough. But just like God, may it come out in forms of generosity and giving and sharing our lives generously for the sake of others.”

43s

“When we make something that is meant for our good, that is meant for our enjoyment, when we take hold of it and make it our ultimate. What guard our hearts, according to Paul, is generosity. In verse 18, Paul paints a picture of a people who are rich in good work, works, and ready to share. Not out of guilt, but out of a heart that has found its security someplace deeper than a bank account, a heart who has found security in God and God alone.”

38s

“Lord, we thank you that this is who you are. You are a God who richly blesses your people, not just for our basic needs, but even for our enjoyment. And, Lord, I pray that we will continue to be a people who finds rest and comfort in your presence, to look to you, to make room in our lives for you to show up and provide for us. Indeed, today, we declare that you are our Jehovah Jairah. You are the one who will provide, the one who is always more than enough for us.”

33s

“But see in his richness, he does not horn. In fact, he provides us with everything to enjoy, not just our absolute critical basic needs, but he provides for our enjoyment. See, the problem is not having good things. The problem is not prosperity. The problem is not abundance. The problem is that when we trust these good things more than the one who gives them to us.”

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2026 The Mission (Rich Toward God): Pastor Mariam Gonzalez

Devotional

Day 1: Morning Mercies in the Midst of Lament

Day 2: Wealth That Rusts, Hands That Give

Day 3: Idle Factories and Eternal Foundations

Day 4: When the Diagnosis Comes

Day 5: Broke Worshipers and True Life

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

2026 The Mission (Rich Toward God): Pastor Mariam Gonzalez

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