WHERE ARE YOUR TREASURES?
GOD GIVES... LOVE GIVES...
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
A GIFT IS A REAL DEMONSTRATION OF WHAT LOVE REALLY IS...
I. WHAT DO I TREASURE THE MOST? MY TREASURE TROVE?
IS MY VALUE SYSTEM AND GOD'S VALUE SYSTEM THE SAME?
DEFINE:
Treasure: what you value, horde up, store up, what you hold dear, precious things,
to collect, what you value and often hide...
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
B. Do not miss the point, many years ago a man in our community had a big garden.
The Lord really blessed his sweat and the garden was bountiful. I was walking
by his house and he called me to his porch. He told me how the Lord had blessed
his garden and he had been digging his potatoes. He had a gift for me. He gave me
two bags of little potatoes about the size of two marbles. I thanked him for the
potatoes. I said: Well, I see the potatoes did not do to well this year.
He said: NO THE POTATOES DID GREAT THIS YEAR, AND HE OPENED HIS
CELLAR DOOR AND SHOWED MANY MANY BOXES OF HUGE POTATOES.
I thanked the man for the potatoes and walked home. I thought the Preacher received
the small culls that he did not want and he kept the best for himself?
I appreciated the potatoes and we ate every one of them, but many a time I have
pondered God do I give the small potatoes and keep the big ones for my self?
II. REAL LOVE GIVES THE BEST... YOU CAN GIVE...
2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT) You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give
reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
2 Corinthians 9:7 (MSG) I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make
up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting.
God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
A. A CHILD KNOWS LOVE GIVES...
1. Perhaps a child's gift is a DANDELION?
2. A ROCK?
3. A hand drawn picture?
B. Love gives:
While in college I read where this couple loved each other so much. After dating they
married. They were so poor that their first Christmas there would be no presents.
The man often looked into the window of a shop and dreamed of owning a gold chain
to go on his pocket watch that had been his grandfathers. But there was no way they
could afford the chain.
His wife would stand in the square of the town and peer into the window of a store and
look at this expensive beautiful pearl and gold hair pen. See loved that hair pen and thought
how pretty her long, dark hair would be with that gold/pearl pin hanging there.
On Christmas morning to their surprise there were two gifts wrapped under their
tree. The woman had a cloth wrapped around her head. The man had her open his gift,
there was the gold and pearl pin she had dreamed of owning. He pulled the cloth of her head,
and she had no hair at all? She cried.
She explained her love... She had his gift, he unwrapped his gift. There was the gold chain
for his grandfather's watch. He started crying...
They understood love as never before. He had sold his grandfather's gold pocket watch
to buy his love the gold and pearl hair pin. She had her head shaved and sold her hair to
buy the gold chain for his watch.
They both took the love gifts and placed them near their hearts. They both understood
the cost of their first Christmas gift. The other had given what they love to get THE LOVE
GIFT FOR THE OTHER.
B. I understood Love gives as a child:
One of my first loves was my Mother. I loved her dearly. I had worked and made five
dollars. I went to the WESTERN AUTO STORE and found a package of beautiful needle
point handkerchiefs. It had a little pearl necklace with them. I looked and looked and
my love wanted that for Mom. I did not have enough money. The store clerk asked me?
I said I wanted it for my Mom but I did not have enough money. The lady then marked
the little box down to $4.50 and I ran to the counter and purchased the gift for my
Mom. I hid the package and would admire what a special gift I purchased for my Mom.
I wrapped the gift and on Mother's Day I ran to Mom and gave it to her.
Mom hugged me real big and thanked me.
The next morning I got to thinking about how much I had spent on Mom. I went to Mom
and I asked for $2.00 back.
Wow, 55 years later I ponder why did my Mom not put me up for adoption? I am
still ashamed of my selfishness.
C. CAN I GIVE? LOVE GIVES:
One of the first girl friends I remember was when I was in the third grade.
We lived in Nevada, Indiana. We rode the school bus. There was a high school girl
that would save me a seat next to her. She would put her arm me and make me feel
so good. " I LOVED HER!"
Someone gave me a dollar, I had it made into 20 nickels. I went to the bubble gum
machine and would hope to get a ring for my "love."
Nickel after nickel all I received was a piece of bubble gum. My mouth was so full
of the gum I thought it would pop.
Finally, my dream came true. The "LOVE RING" was mine.
I could not wait until Monday. I jumped on the bus and my love had my seat saved.
I slid the ring on her finger, she acted so proud.
She wore it until her finger turned blue.
I UNDERSTOOD LOVE GIVES.
D. LINDA TAUGHT ME MORE ABOUT LOVE GIVES:
In 1969, I was so in love with this girl named Linda. She asked me to marry her? I was
a senior in high school... We went to KAY JEWELERS in Springfield, Illinois and I went
in debt... I bought my love her engagement ring. She I learned love cost.
I have been in debt ever since that day. My freshman year in college we married. I
understood diamonds are forever. Well, when our first son was born, Linda was washing
his diaper and the diamond went down in the septic tank.
I could tell you where the septic tank is in Virginia if you are interested. But that
ring was not about the ring, it was a token of my love. We had a new diamond placed
in the ring.
30 years later, she carelessly hung the rings on her purse and somewhere she lost
them.
I promised to never buy her another ring. A lady at church named Lucy told me:
If you wanted a guitar you would buy it. ??? So the next day I went and purchased
Linda a much prettier ring than she had before. See, LOVE GIVES...
II. IS TROPHY GIVING BIBLICAL?
GOD IS LOVE... GOD KNOWS REAL LOVE GIVES...
REAL LOVE GIVES THE BEST GIFT POSSIBLE...
A. HOW DO YOU MEASURE LOVE?
BY THE SIZE OF THE GIFT?
NO BY THE SIZE OF THE ABILITY OF THE HAND THAT GIVES...
B. We give TROPHIES TO THOSE THAT GIVE BIG GIFTS?
God's value system varies greatly from MAN'S RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS.
Luke 21:2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury
hath cast in all the living that she had.
Luke 21:2-4 (MSG) Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies.
3 He said, "The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today.
4 All these others made offerings that they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she
couldn't afford—she gave her all!"
C. Love understands GIVING IS ABILITY BASED --- PRIORITY GIVING...
III. HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED TO DEFINE WHAT LOVE IS?
GOD IS LOVE... GOD UNDERSTANDS LOVE AND GIVING...
ABILITY GIVING NOT MERIT SYSTEM GIVING...
1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and
he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:8 (MSG) The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God,
because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love.
1 John 4:16 (MSG) We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that
comes from God. God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live
in God and God lives in us.
IV. WE MUST UNDERSTAND REAL LOVE IN THE LIGHT OF REAL GIVING...
THE MEASURING STANDARD IS CLEAR... BY THIS... THE GIFT OF LOVE...
GOD GAVE THE BEST THAT HEAVEN HAD TO OFFER...
A. LOVE IS THE STANDARD...
LOVE'S STANDARD IS GIVING... By abiliity...
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
B. THE BEST GIFT EVER GIVEN THROUGH THE AGES OF ETERNITIY IS WHEN
GOD GAVE HIS SON... HIS ONLY SON...
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 (MSG) "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son.
And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a
whole and lasting life.
V. GOD HAS A GREAT GIFT WE SELDOM REALLY APPRECIATE... LIGHT...
AND GOD'S WORD... THE LIGHT HOUSE!
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
A. We understand that GOD CREATED LIGHT by his word...
ALL LIFE AS WE KNOW IT COMES FROM LIGHT...
B. Light: makes vision possible, illumination, not dark,
C. IMAGINE the darkness of blindness...
I was describing some things I saw to a blind man. I told him red, blue, etc.
He said to me: THOSE WORDS MEAN NOTHING TO ME?
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
D. Have we ever said: THANK YOU GOD FOR THE LIGHT?
VI. ANOTHER ONE OF GOD'S GREATEST GIFTS IS THE GIFT OF PEACE...
A. PEACE: absence of contention..., not quarrelsome, no strife,
B. YOU CAN NOT BUY PEACE...
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
VII. GIVE THE GIFT OF JOY:
A. The joy that you give others is the joy that comes back to you.
Seems the more you spend blessings others the more joy you will have.
Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your
joy might be full.
Psalm 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for
a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
B. THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH...
VIII. GOD GIVES US THE GIFT OF LIFE... ETERNAL LIFE...
John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that
they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
IX. HOW ABOUT THE GIFT OF TIME? GOD GIVES YOU THE GIFT OF TIME, WHAT YOU DO
WITH YOUR GIFT BECOMES GOD'S GIFT BACK TO YOU.
A. How are we spending our time?
Time is an IRRETRIEVABLE VALUE --- once it is gone, it can never be captured again.
Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
B. How much time do we waste on junk?
X. DID YOU KNOW GOD CAN GIVE YOU THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING AND
WISDOM IF YOU ASK? WHY NOT ASK?
1 Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness
of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him
with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth
all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake
him, he will cast thee off for ever.
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Conclusion:
WE TEND TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF TREASURE?
WHERE IS YOUR TREASURE?
WHAT DO WE VALUE?
GIVE YOURSELF!
UNDERSTAND THE PRICE OF REDEPMTION?
THE FRIEND! THE BRIDE OF CHRIST!
I MUST BE FAITHFUL!
I MUST GIVE! You can give and not love, but you can not love without giving!
I CAN NOT DO THAT... SIN
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Help me?
