Eternal Investments

…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

Props: a dollar bill, orange and orange tree (or pictures of each)

Alright, it’s quiz time!  Let’s say you want an orange.  You have $1 and 2 choices: You can buy an orange or an orange tree.  The orange is ripe and ready to eat.  The orange tree is just beginning to grow.  It doesn’t have any oranges on it yet.  So which would you buy? (Allow for response).

Buying the orange will make you happy at the moment.  You can eat it and enjoy it right now.  The bad thing is that it will be gone in just a few minutes.  The only thing you will have left is an empty peel and sticky hands.  Using your dollar to buy the orange would be like storing up your treasures on earth.  You can use your money to buy things that will make you happy today, but those things will soon be gone.  You will only enjoy them for a short time.

Your other choice is to buy the orange tree.  If you do, you won’t have very much to enjoy right now, unless you like munching on leaves.  The tree won’t give you much for a long time.  You will have to wait and wait and then…wait some more.  But once the oranges grow and ripen, you will have dozens of oranges to enjoy.  In fact, if you take care of the tree, you will have bags full of oranges to enjoy for years to come.  Using your money to buy the tree is like storing up your treasures in Heaven.  When you use your money for God, you may not get to enjoy it right now, but you will one day.  If you help buy Bibles for people, you may see them in Heaven one day and for all eternity you will know that your money helped bring them to the Lord.  If you use your money to help send a missionary to another country, you are helping everyone that he or she helps.  You will enjoy that blessing forever.  

So which would you buy:  Would you use your money to buy the orange or the orange tree?  (Allow for response).  Will you use your money for God and store up treasure in Heaven, or will you use your money for yourself and store up treasure on earth?  (Allow for response).

Use your money for God!