Where Your Treasure Is: Choosing Generosity Over Scarcity

Jan 11, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Joy and Transformation of Giving

This year invites us to consider not just what we want to achieve, but who we aspire to become. A profound truth reveals that there is more blessedness and lasting joy in giving than in receiving. This isn't merely a spiritual principle; research consistently shows that generosity leads to greater happiness, health, and a longer life. Embracing a posture of giving can truly transform us from the inside out, shaping our character and bringing a deeper sense of fulfillment. [50:48]

Acts 20:35 (ESV) "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’"

Reflection: When you reflect on a time you gave generously, what lasting joy or sense of fulfillment did you experience that differed from receiving?

Day 2: Aligning Your Heart with Your Treasure

The scriptures teach us a powerful truth about the connection between our resources and our inner life: where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. This means our investments, whether in time, energy, or finances, don't just follow our passions; they also shape them. When we intentionally direct our resources towards things of eternal value, our hearts begin to align with those values, fostering a deeper care and focus on what truly matters. It's an invitation to consider what we are truly investing in. [54:04]

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moths nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Reflection: Considering the things you spend your money on, what do these investments reveal about the current priorities and affections of your heart?

Day 3: Seeing the World Through an Abundant Eye

Jesus spoke of the "eye" as the lamp of the body, a metaphor for how we perceive the world. To have an "eye full of light" meant to be generous, while an "eye full of evil" signified selfishness or greed. This ancient wisdom resonates with modern concepts of an abundance mindset versus a scarcity mindset. How we view the world—whether there is enough or not enough—profoundly shapes our actions, habits, and overall posture towards life and others. It's a call to examine our perspective. [58:23]

Matthew 6:22-23 (ESV) "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

Reflection: In what specific situations do you find yourself operating from a scarcity mindset, perhaps hoarding or feeling competitive, and how might a shift in perspective change your immediate response?

Day 4: Rooted in God's Overflowing Generosity

Our understanding of generosity is deeply rooted in our view of God. If we perceive God as cold, distant, or lacking, we tend to adopt a scarcity mindset, believing there isn't enough to go around. However, scripture reveals a God who overflows with creativity and gives abundantly. From creation itself, God has been a giver, lavishing mercy, hope, and goodness upon us. Recognizing God's boundless generosity empowers us to live with an abundance mindset, confident that there is always enough, and our hands and hearts can follow suit. [01:04:10]

Genesis 1:27-28 (ESV) "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”"

Reflection: How does reflecting on God's character as an overflowing, giving God challenge or affirm your current beliefs about your own capacity for generosity?

Day 5: Choosing Your Master: A Call to Action

Jesus issues a clear warning: "No one can serve two masters." We cannot be devoted to both God and money. Money, or mammon, is not a neutral force; it possesses a power that can seek to control us, influencing our decisions, fueling our desires, and even leading to debt. This challenge calls for a decisive step. Though it may feel uncomfortable and countercultural, choosing to practice generosity is a jump of faith, allowing God's truth to impact our actions and free us from the grip of mammon. [01:14:40]

Matthew 6:24 (ESV) "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

Reflection: What is one small, tangible step you could take this week to intentionally prioritize serving God over the power of money in a specific area of your life?

Sermon Summary

Generosity is presented as a spiritual practice that reshapes character and reorients a life toward God’s abundance rather than human scarcity. The teaching moves from honest New Year reflection—how a year simply advances whatever direction a person already points—to a focused four-week invitation to study, practice, and reflect on generosity. Biblical roots are emphasized: Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 about treasures in heaven and the eye as the lamp of the body frames generosity as both moral and perceptual. An “eye full of light” is tied to a generous disposition; an “evil eye” names stinginess. Psychological and sociological parallels reinforce that an abundance mindset produces healthier, longer, and happier lives, while a scarcity mindset produces hoarding, fear, and coldness.

Genesis and the life of God are invoked to correct distorted images of a withholding deity. Scripture is read as depicting a giving Creator who blesses and multiplies; that portrayal undergirds the confidence to give freely. Practical steps are urged: start small (buy a coffee, give a voucher), practice generosity in community, and test whether life becomes fuller and freer. Money is treated as spiritually powerful—capable of controlling affections and decisions—so Jesus’ warning that nobody can serve both God and mammon is presented as decisive. The pastoral voice calls listeners away from transactional, zero-sum thinking and toward risky, faith-shaped giving that breaks cycles of isolation.

Personal stories and cultural examples illustrate how habits form: where money is invested, the heart follows; where vision is narrow, life becomes competitive and fearful. The closing appeal is pastoral and earnest—confession of past withholding, prayer for softened hearts, and a concrete invitation to join a communal practice of generosity over the coming weeks. The aim is not mere charity but formation: to alter direction so that a year from now people are more generous, more whole, and more alive to God’s plentiful provision.

Key Takeaways

1. Give more, receive deeper joy Generosity is not merely altruism but a formation practice that lengthens and deepens joy more than acquisition ever does. Scientific studies and Jesus’ words converge: the satisfaction from giving endures and reshapes priorities, producing healthier rhythms of life and relationship. Small, regular acts of giving recalibrate desire and create habituated joy in others’ flourishing. [49:01]
2. Where money goes, heart follows Spending is not neutral; financial priorities shape affections and attention over time. Jesus’ teaching about storing treasures shows how investment directs the heart—money both reveals and forms what is treasured. Deliberate reallocations of resources can reorient love toward God and neighbor. [53:27]
3. Choose an abundance mindset Vision determines behavior: an “eye full of light” sees enough for flourishing, while an “evil eye” constricts life to scarcity. An abundance mindset frees people from zero-sum calculations and opens creative generosity; a scarcity mindset breeds hoarding, fear, and relational distance. Practices that rehearse God’s generosity help remake perception. [56:28]
4. You cannot serve two masters Money exerts spiritual power and shapes ultimate loyalties, making divided devotion impossible. Jesus’ warning about mammon calls for discernment: when finances control decisions, worship is redirected toward wealth rather than God. Conscious practices of trusting the generous Creator are required to break mammon’s hold. [1:06:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[44:31] - New Year reflection
[45:07] - Direction and identity over a year
[45:45] - Four weeks on generosity announced
[46:43] - Study, practice, reflect rhythm
[49:01] - The joy and science of giving
[52:15] - Treasures on earth versus heaven
[56:28] - Eye of light: abundance explained
[58:23] - Scarcity mindset illustrated
[1:02:31] - God as a generous Creator
[1:06:32] - Warning: can’t serve two masters
[1:13:17] - Call to jump and practice
[1:16:25] - Closing prayer and benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

Matthew 6:19–24 (ESV)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Genesis 1:29–31 (ESV)
“And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”

1 Samuel 7:12 (ESV)
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Till now the Lord has helped us.’”

Observation questions

According to Matthew 6:19–20, what are the specific risks of storing treasures on earth, and how does that compare to storing them in heaven?
In Matthew 6:22–23, what is the relationship between the "eye" and the "whole body"?
Looking at Genesis 1:29–30, how many times does the text use the word "given" or "give" in relation to God’s provision for his creation?
What was the purpose of the stone Samuel set up in 1 Samuel 7:12, and what specific name did he give it?

Interpretation questions

Jesus teaches that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" [53:27]. While we often think our money follows our passions, how does the act of investing our resources actually function to direct where our heart goes?
In the first-century context, having an "eye full of light" was a way of describing a generous person, while an "evil eye" referred to stinginess [56:28]. How does our "vision"—the way we perceive the world as either a place of plenty or a place of lack—determine the "light" or "darkness" of our character?
Jesus uses the word "Mammon" to describe money, suggesting it is not just a neutral tool but a spiritual power that seeks our devotion [01:08:07]. Why is it impossible to remain neutral or serve both God and this power simultaneously?
The God of Genesis is depicted as a Creator who constantly gives and blesses [01:03:18]. How does this image of an abundant, giving God contrast with the "Scrooge-like" image of a withholding deity that many people carry in their minds?

Application questions

If someone were to look at your bank statement or your calendar from the last month, what would they say your heart is currently being trained to love? [54:04]
A "scarcity mindset" often makes us feel like life is a zero-sum game—that if someone else gets a "piece of the pizza," there is less for us [59:11]. In what areas of your life (money, time, or recognition) do you find yourself most tempted to hoard or compete out of fear?
Scientific research and the teachings of Jesus both suggest that the joy of giving lasts longer than the joy of getting [49:59]. Can you share a time when you gave something away and felt a deeper sense of satisfaction than when you bought something for yourself?
The name Ebenezer means "this far the Lord has helped us" [01:05:06]. What are some specific "rocks" or moments from your past where God proved his faithfulness to you? How can remembering those moments help you be more generous today?
Generosity is a practice that can start small, such as buying a coffee for a friend or sending a voucher to someone in need [51:36]. What is one small, concrete act of generosity you can commit to this week that feels just a little bit "uncomfortable"?
It is easy to feel "stuck" in old habits of withholding, like being stranded on a roof and afraid to move [01:13:17]. What is the biggest fear or obstacle currently stopping you from "jumping" into a more generous way of living?
How can we as a small group hold each other accountable to practice an "abundance mindset" this month, ensuring we are looking for ways to give rather than just ways to get? [46:43]

Sermon Clips

37s

#GodOfAbundance

“``This is a God who overflows with creativity. This is a God who gives, and gives, and gives again. This is a God who does not lack, but he loves you with an everlasting love. This is a God who lavishes upon you mercy and hope and goodness and righteousness. This is a generous God who leads you, who calls you to live an abundant life. Because when we have a generous God, when we have an abundant God, we can have an abundance mindset. We can have confidence that there is enough. And when we believe that, our hands and our wallets can follow suit.”

31s

#ThisFarGodHelped

“who has carried you this far. And we raise up this rock, and we say, this far, God has helped me. This far, God has carried me. And because of that, I will have faith stepping into the next year. I do not need to grab and hoard and be stingy, because I worship a God who is a generous God, an abundant God who has got more than enough. This far, God has helped us, and that will give me the confidence to live out of a place of blessing.”

28s

#GenerosityJourney

“My friends, I pray that over the four weeks, we would move from being less Scrooge to more Ebenezer, that we would remind ourselves that we worship a good and abundant and blessing God. A God who has more than enough. A God who has bought us this far and helped us this far. And I pray that it would change us, that we would alter the direction we are on, so at the end of this year, we would be a more generous people than we are right now.”

21s

#EyeOfAbundance

“Jesus says, you be careful. Before you start looking at how you spend your money, look at how you view the world. Because how you see it will determine on how you act. Have you got a clean eye? Have you got an eye of light? Or have you got an eye of darkness? Have you got an abundance mindset? Or have you got a scarcity mindset?”

28s

#LearnInCircles

“I'd encourage you to do that in a group. We learn best in circles. So join a small group. Start a small group. Start a WhatsApp group. Get some people to be accountable to each other. So you can ask yourself the question, right, we tried this. Is it working for you? And then and then next week, we'll just do it again. We'll do it again because, like I shared in my Christmas message, I'm a big fan of this long obedience in the same direction. Yeah? We keep on moving. We keep on moving and become more and more like Jesus.”

34s

#JoyOfGiving

“So maybe we can try and discover the joy of giving this week. Buy someone a coffee. Start small. It's countercultural, isn't it? Because we have got thousands of advertisements hitting us every day, telling us the stuff we should get. And Jesus is like, think about the stuff you can give. Who in your life can you be? Buy someone a book. Send someone a voucher. Get the coffee in for the person behind you. Start small, but start enough to make it a little bit uncomfortable just to test it out. See if you are more blessed as you give than you are when you receive.”

27s

#MoneyFollowsHeart

“What I'm saying is, sometimes our money follows our heart. You you're passionate about someone or something, and you spend money on that thing or that someone. Yeah? But Jesus is saying, as well as that also, where you spend your money, your heart will also go there. Let me put that in very practical terms. You do not care about losing a pen, do you? Until you bought an expensive pen, and then you care.”

38s

#NoServeMammon

“You can't serve God and Mam. It's a warning to us that there's a spiritual element to money. Like we talked about at the start, where you put your money, there's something about your heart and your attitude that follows it. And Jesus is warning. He's like, you've got to hold this thing carefully because this is a power that will seek to own you. Think about all the evil that is done in the world because people are behest to mammon. Think about all the terrible things that are done because people are so so locked up by that power that money can hold over them.”

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