"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." –Matthew 6:21 (Holeman Christian Standard Bible)

Lately, a number of things have been reminding me of this verse. Rachel's fundraising story is one of them.

Recently, a girl that I babysit, whom I will call Rachel, added a new element to our game of school: fundraising. She asked me what city I was from again, and I smiled and said, "Houston, Texas." Rachel then explained that our next task was to raise money for the poor people in Houston. After she found an empty jar, she proceeded to imagine how we would raise the money to fill it. When her mom arrived home, she unveiled her plan!

Her excitement about the cause touched me. It made me question, "What are my time and efforts moving towards?" My first step should at least be spending less time scanning shopping websites!

The book Advanced Strategic Planning by Aubrey Malphurs (BakerBooks, 2005) suggests that churches look at their budgets and see in what categories their funds are allocated (p. 263). Malphurs points out that this is important for individuals as well (p. 258). This reminded me to evaluate my expenditures in time and money.

A verse that a friend reminded me of last night explains, "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow" (James 1:17, New Living Translation). How are we using our gifts? How would Jesus use them?