[Ecclesiastes 5:11-19] 

“10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers! 12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.  

13 There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. 14 Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us. 16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.  

[Philippians 4:11-13] 

“11 Not that I was ever need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live and almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or a little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” 

[Ecclesiastes 5:19-20] 

18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. 19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.” 

[Proverbs 13:22]There are THREE PRINCIPLES that guide this person’s life:

“Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren…” 

EVERYTHING WE DO, WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE, MATTERS 

[1 Corinthians 3:11-13] 

“11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have–Jesus Christ. 12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials–gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.” 

[Mathew 6:20-21 NLT]2.

20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. 

WE WORSHIP GOD WITH OUR STUFF TO KEEP FROM LOVING OUR STUFF MORE THAN GOD 

[1 Timothy 6:10 NLT] 

10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 

[1 Timothy 6:17-19 NLT] 

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. 

3. OUR SATISFACTION COMES FROM GOD NOT OUR THINGS 

[Philippians 2:17] 

“ but I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid, offering to God, just like your faithful service as an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.” 

[Romans 12:1 NLT] 

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 

[Luke 21:1-4 NLT] 

1 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” 

[Mathew 6:21 NLT]Everytime that I give to God first, I demonstrate three things:

21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

• I know it all comes from Him
• I’m thankful for what He gives
• He has my heart more than it does