Blog written by Paul Sok, Spotswood West Elder over Finance
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21
At Easter, we were reminded of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We were directed towards our Savior who fulfilled the Mosaic law by living a perfect life as a pivotal aspect of the overall divine plan. Jesus Christ established a new covenant by which we could be saved and modeled a life that we as His followers should emulate. Through the examples and lessons that He presents in Scripture, we can see the heart of Jesus, and as a result, the type of heart that we should possess through His grace. The Lord tells us that our hearts will drift towards what we treasure in our lives.
He also speaks to the importance of sacrificial giving, which conveys a heart that treasures obedience to our Savior more than our value of money. In Scripture, Jesus exemplifies the giving of two copper coins by a poor widow in the temple in Jerusalem as being a greater offering than those given by the rich, because the widow gave all that she had while the latter gave from their abundance (Mark 12:43-44). The poor widow sought to serve God with all of her heart while those who were more financially blessed portrayed a divided heart of service to the Lord. The Apostle Paul also instructs us to give “without reluctance or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” so that we may “reap bountifully” in terms of bearing fruit for God’s kingdom (2 Corinthians 9:7).
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has reached members in our congregation and may continue to affect us for an undetermined amount of time. I encourage us all to calibrate our intentions and hearts with the Lord Jesus Christ’s examples above during these trying times. As we press forward together as the body of Christ and the Holy Spirit moves you all to give, there are a couple of ways to contribute to the Spotswood West Benevolence Account.
The first option is to visit redeemerva.org/give and click “Give Online.” Select “Spotswood West Benevolence” from the Giving Type dropdown.
The second option is to use the Spotswood Baptist Church app.
Once you select “Give” in the app, enter the amount you want to give and once again choose “Spotswood West Benevolence” from the Giving Type dropdown menu.
The third way to give is via a check made payable to “Spotswood Baptist Church.” Please be sure to write “Spotswood West Benevolence” in the memo line. Checks can be mailed to Spotswood Baptist Church at 4009 Lafayette Blvd., Fredericksburg, VA 22408.
May we be known as a church that lives out our love for our Savior by caring for each other in the body in all manners. And let us be witnesses to the rest of this community of what it looks like to have hearts that are undivided and completely devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit by His grace!
Paul