As believers, we view our resources differently than the world. The way we steward what we have reflects our faith—it reveals what we value. Jesus said, “Where your money is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34) As a church, we want to be a people who give courageously, storing up for ourselves treasure in heaven because we have faith in the One who provides and gives generously to us.

In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul instructs Corinth to mimic the generous hearts of the Macedonian church. Because their first action was giving themselves completely away to God, they considered it a privilege to worship with their money. In giving themselves away, they were able to give generously and eagerly because Christ had given generously to them. We should be able to view our money in the same light as the Macedonians viewed their resources—as a call to worship rather than a resource to be worshiped.

Jeremiah 17: 5-8 invites us to evaluate what we ultimately put our trust in and what we naturally rely on. In this passage, there are two kinds of trees: one that is struggling and one that is flourishing. The difference between the trees is not their circumstances, but instead where they have placed their roots. In the same way for us, it is not our circumstances that should dictate our joy and growth, but rather where we plant the roots of our heart.

Anxiety stems from the unknown and can consume our everyday thoughts and life. However, anxious thoughts can be fought and won with what we do know: God sacrificed His only Son on our behalf. Through God’s reassurance to Abraham in Genesis 15 and God’s truth in Scripture, we learn that the hope of the gospel conquers our anxiety and any uncertainty of our future. Although we may feel unsure of our immediate future, we do know our eternal future and have the ability to live in that hope on Earth.