This is the weekly companion to the weekend’s message, made to spend time with all week. It follows a simple five-part rhythm: a recap of what we heard, the central thought and scripture, a practice for the week, daily scripture and reflection, and a closing prayer.
Recap
After a plane crash, investigators search the wreckage for the flight recorder, the black box, because it can tell them what was happening inside the aircraft when no one outside could see. This weekend we heard that each of us carries a little black box of our own. Some carry it in a purse, others in a pocket. We call it a wallet, and it tells a story about what we value, what we prioritize, what we trust, and sometimes even what we fear.
Luke tells us about two wealthy men who met Jesus. A religious leader asked what he should do to inherit eternal life, heard Jesus tell him to sell everything, and went away very sad. A chief tax collector named Zacchaeus heard Jesus call him by name, took Him home in great excitement and joy, and gave half his wealth to the poor. The amount of money each man had was never the difference. The difference was the place money held in his heart. One man placed his wallet over Jesus. The other placed Jesus over his wallet.
Three things set them apart. One man let his money keep authority over his heart, while the other surrendered that authority to Jesus. One man counted what following Jesus would cost, while the other saw what it was worth. And one came looking for a transaction, while the other was transformed: “Jesus didn’t come to Zacchaeus’s house because his wallet had changed. His wallet changed after Jesus came to his house.”
Central Thought & Scripture
“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Matthew 6:21, NLT)
Your wallet may be one of the clearest witnesses of the Way. Its size matters far less than its shape: is it being shaped by the world you live in, or by the Way of following Jesus? We often treat God as one more expense in the budget, owed His share like the mortgage or the groceries. But everything we have came from Him in the first place, and what He asks of every heart is the same surrender. When Jesus changes what you love, He begins to change what you do with what you have. You can follow Jesus with an empty wallet. But you cannot fully follow the Way of Jesus with a closed one.
Practice for the Week
This week, practice the Way of the Wallet with three simple habits you can start tomorrow:
● Pause before you purchase. Before you buy something, ask yourself, “Do I really need this? Why do I want it?” Not everything we can afford is something we need to own.
● Pray before you pay. Invite God into your financial decisions, large and small. If God is the Owner and you are the steward, consult the Owner.
● Look for opportunities to give. Don’t wait until you have more money to become a generous person. Start practicing generosity with what you have right now. That includes praying honestly about your part in Heart for the House, our church’s vision for building at our campuses. To learn more, text the word “heart” to 61010. You’ll be asked to select your campus, and then you’ll receive three links: a digital copy of the Heart for the House brochure, the Edmond campus details, and the Grapevine campus details. Keep praying leading up to the Heart for the House offering on November 22.
Daily Scripture & Reflection
Set aside some time each day to pray with these Scriptures. Bring your journal and a pen. Begin with a few quiet moments to become aware of God’s presence and invite the Holy Spirit to guide you. Read the day’s Scripture slowly, a few times, and notice what stands out. Read the reflection question and jot down your answer, no need to be elaborate, just a quick note, along with anything else that comes to you. When you finish, look back over what you wrote. Does anything stand out? Does anything call for action? Thank God for being with you and speaking to you, then close with the Lord’s Prayer. All of this fits in about 10 to 15 minutes.
Day 1: Luke 18:18-25
The ruler had kept the commandments since he was young, and he still walked away sad. Jesus put His finger on the one thing that held authority over his heart. What would be hardest for you to hear Jesus ask you to release?
Day 2: 1 Chronicles 29:10-14
David’s people had just given lavishly toward the Temple, and David’s prayer hands all the credit back to God. They were only returning what had first been given to them. Where are you holding something as an owner that you were given to steward?
Day 3: Deuteronomy 8:11-18
Moses warns a people about to prosper that success breeds forgetting. Hard work matters, but our abilities and opportunities were no more self-made than the breath in our lungs. What success in your life are you tempted to credit to yourself alone?
Day 4: Matthew 13:44-46
The man in the field sells everything he owns, and he does it with excitement. He has found something better than anything he had. When you think about generosity, what do you notice first, what it costs or what you have found?
Day 5: Luke 19:1-10
Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name and invites Himself to dinner, with no talk of percentages. The change in Zacchaeus’s wallet comes after Jesus comes home with him. What part of your life are you keeping closed to Jesus?
Day 6: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
The believers in Macedonia were very poor, and their joy overflowed in rich generosity, because they gave themselves to the Lord first. Their giving answered the generosity of Jesus, who became poor for our sake. What opportunity to give could you take this week with what you have right now?
Prayer
Father, everything I have has come from You, and I give You only what You first gave me. Forgive me for the times I have treated You as one more line in my budget. Thank You for Your Son, who calls me by name and comes into my home before I have changed a thing. Through Him I open my hands to You. Take whatever has had authority over my heart, and put it back in its rightful place. By Your Spirit, teach me to pause, to pray, and to give with joy, like someone who has found a treasure worth more than anything I could hold. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (traditional)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
