Provide Purses for yourself that will not wear out, a treasure in Heaven that will never fail.
Luke 12:33

What am I doing that provides & fills eternal purses?

What even is an eternal purse? A purse that doesn’t wear out, get old, fall apart? A life impacted, strengthened by the weight of the treasure inside that doesn’t corrode or rust?

So often I focus on our family finances and how God will provide for our needs, our treasures. I’ve looked through Luke 12 in the past and I often focus on this challenging passage that comes before the purse reference:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (vs. 22-26)

These words are often such a great comfort as they remind me again & again that God will provide and that I have nothing to worry about… but how often do I go past that comfort of mydirect needs, and look to fill the purse of another.

I can so often hope and pray for “random blessings” – cash in envelopes, bills paid, spontaneous gifts left on our doorstep, but how often am I looking to be the one giving them? Years ago we set up a ‘blessings budget’ as part of our monthly envelope system, but I can’t remember the last time I used it for anything other than regular birthday presents.

What is my ‘much’?

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” (vs. 48)

The obvious answer would be just my treasure, my money- the pennies and pounds that go in and out of our account every month. Generosity through finance is an incredible thing to do – literally putting your money where your mouth is, even when you don’t feel like you can do it. We tithe to our church and love supporting some incredible charities, but I feel like my “much” is my finances and some! The pounds automatically go out of our account and get put into a bucket on a Sunday, but what about the rest of the “much”?

When I think about the other “much” I have been blessed with, I think about:

• My Time
• My Home
• My Children
• My Marriage
• My Friends & Family
• My Faith, Grace, Hope, Peace, Freedom in Jesus

It can be easy to focus how those things serve me… like walking around with a great collection of colourful balloons. I enjoy them looking pretty all tied together, holding them tightly in my hand – but what would happen if I let go and passed them on? Have you ever seen a child’s face light up when you pass them a balloon?

Am I doing much with my ‘much’?

I know that I can get five more minutes of peace in an evening if I skip story time with the boys. Having no one over for dinner is a lot less effort than cooking (which is not my strong suit anyway!) Sitting playing on my phone instead of talking to my husband about his busy day is often a welcome distraction. Saying “I’ll pray for you” is a lot more convenient than turning up and actually being there for someone in their time of need & walking it with them. Keeping shtum about the incredible Saviour who I know loves me more than anything is much easier than being bold and sharing that phenomenal message with my friends & colleagues.

How can I create indestructible purses that will make a difference to another’s pocket for eternity?