Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is
You’ve likely heard the saying, “Put your money where your mouth is.” Normally, this refers to the challenge for someone to support their words or claims with actions. For example, I might tell you to put your money where your mouth is if you tell me you can make a better chicken sandwich than the one we serve at Chick-fil-A. It’s because I don’t believe you, and it’s nothing personal – I just think our sandwich is that good.
However, I think there’s also another way that you can interpret this idiom that isn’t talked about quite as much. I think there’s a commonality between what we say and how we spend our money that often goes unnoticed. A few weeks ago, I published a blog post titled “Wait, Why Am I Talking?” In this blog post, I wrote that, conscious or not, we always have a reason for saying what we say, and oftentimes, our words reflect our values.
I believe the same can be said for money. If you show me what you spend your money on, I can make some educated assumptions about what you care about most. If you spend thousands of dollars each year on golf lessons and equipment, I would argue that golf is important to you. If you save more than you make, I would guess that planning and security are top priorities. If you have a line in your budget specifically for regular meals at Chick-fil-A, I would say that you’re a person of strong wisdom and character. Kidding on that last one, but only partially.
None of the examples in the above paragraph are wrong in themselves, but they do reflect an important truth that Jesus himself communicated during the Sermon on the Mount. Listen to his words in Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT): “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Jesus isn’t condemning the acquisition or possession of earthly treasures. He’s speaking about a much greater issue. Remember, his primary focus throughout the Sermon on the Mount is the transformation of people’s hearts. Jesus is warning us against the danger of caring more about building earthly wealth than pursuing Heavenly treasure. Everything we acquire in this world has an expiration date, and we’ll take nothing with us when we leave this life one day. The question then becomes, how will this perspective and awareness impact the way we live our lives and handle our money each day?
If I could offer a challenge, I would encourage you to take a look at your budget or your most recent bank statement and consider what someone who doesn’t know you personally might think about you based on how you spend your money. What would they assume you care about most? Would they know that you’re a follower of Jesus? Depending on how you answer these two questions, it might be time to re-evaluate how you approach your finances.