God’s Visa

Introduction — God’s Credit Line of Trust

A few weeks ago I was standing in a checkout line when the person ahead of me swiped their card and—beep!—“Declined.”

You could see the panic flash across their face. They tried again. “Declined.”

Finally they sighed, pulled out another card, and that one went through.

As I walked out, I caught myself thinking, What if heaven sent me a message like that?

What if God tried to run one of my faith transactions—an act of generosity, an opportunity to trust Him—and the screen flashed: Declined. Insufficient trust balance.

That’s what this sermon is about.

God has issued every one of us what I call a heavenly VISA—not a piece of plastic, but a line of spiritual credit called trust.

V-I-S-A can stand for Value, Investment, Stewardship, and Accountability.

When God hands you time, resources, abilities, or influence, He’s saying, “I’m entrusting you with this line of credit. Use it well. Build something that lasts.”

So today we’ll look at five principles of stewardship that tell us how to use God’s VISA wisely.

Because stewardship is not really about money—it’s about trust.

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The Issue Isn’t Wealth; It’s Worth

Jesus spoke more about money and possessions than about heaven and hell combined—not because He was obsessed with cash, but because He understood what money reveals.

Money is a mirror of the heart. It tells heaven what we value.

That’s why He said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The problem is never the wallet—it’s the heart that lives inside the wallet.

So here’s our starting question:

Can God trust us with what He’s already given us?

Because how we handle the little things—our minutes, our motives, our money—tells heaven whether we can be trusted with true riches.

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1 — Turn Temporary Treasures into Eternal Treasures

(Matthew 6 : 19 – 21)

> “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Every purchase, every priority, every act of giving is a statement about where our heart lives.

We either invest in the temporary or the eternal.

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The Two Accounts

Think of life as having two accounts.

Earthly account: spends easily, depreciates quickly, expires at death.

Heavenly account: accrues interest forever, immune to inflation, backed by divine guarantee.

When you give, when you serve, when you love sacrificially, you’re making a transfer between those accounts.

You’re saying, “God, charge this to eternity.”

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The Mansion Builder

A story is told of a believer who arrived in heaven and was greeted by an angel who offered to show him his new home.

They walked down golden streets lined with breathtaking mansions.

Each home seemed larger and brighter than the one before—until they reached a small, simple cottage at the end of the lane.

“This one is yours,” the angel said.

The man blinked. “But… why such a tiny house?”

The angel smiled gently. “We did the best we could with what you sent ahead.”

The point isn’t about real estate; it’s about investment.

What we send forward through generosity becomes the raw material heaven uses to build eternal joy.

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Where Is Your Treasure?

Jesus didn’t say, “Where your heart is, there your treasure will follow.”

He said the opposite—“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.”

Your treasure leads your heart.

Where you place your resources determines where your affections travel.

If your treasure sits in the stock market, your emotions rise and fall with the Dow.

If your treasure sits in possessions, your mood swings with their condition.

If your treasure sits in heaven, your heart stays anchored no matter what the market does.

So where’s your treasure today?

Because that’s where your heart already lives.

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Three Ways to Give

1. The grudging giver says, “I have to give.”

That’s the language of obligation. It’s like paying taxes to avoid penalties.

2. The dutiful giver says, “I ought to give.”

That’s better, but it still feels like a bill rather than a blessing.

3. The grateful giver says, “I want to give.”

That’s worship. That’s love responding to love.

Paul wrote that “God loves a cheerful giver.”

The word “cheerful” comes from the Greek hilaros—from which we get “hilarious.”

God loves it when His people give with laughter in their hearts—because laughter only comes when trust has replaced fear.

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The Exchange Rate of Heaven

Every dollar, every minute, every talent invested in self is temporary currency.

Invested in God’s kingdom, it becomes eternal currency.

The world measures wealth by accumulation; heaven measures it by circulation.

When you pour into others, you’re not losing—you’re transferring value from a sinking economy into a secure one.