✝️ The Bible's fire-proofed wealth strategy

Good morning, my brothers! These last few weeks have been tough as we've watched the tragedy of the California wildfires unfold before us. Through it, though, we can see a Biblical truth about what constitutes real treasure. I hope our lead article impacts you as it did me as I wrote it and encourages all of us to take a fresh look at where we make our lasting investments. Let’s go!

This week’s manly topics (5-min read):

⛑️ MIND SET There’s nothing like a disaster to remind us what is truly important. This week, we consider tried-and-true ways to invest in imperishable, eternal riches.
📰  NEWS Turns out exercise today improves memory tomorrow. That, plus news and advice on nutrition, marriage, spiritual giftedness and a cool cultural development.
🎁 OFFER This week’s sponsor, Lumen, offers MTM subscribers a special deal on their very cool personalized fitness tech package.

MIND SET
The Bible's fire-proofed wealth strategy

I have the privilege of teaching about twenty-five seventh and eighth-grade boys at my church each Sunday morning. I love it. Many of these young men are hungry to better understand the Bible and what it means to get closer to Jesus. Currently, we're studying Luke together, chapter by chapter.

Last Sunday, we explored Luke’s account of the Beatitudes. While I'm more familiar with Matthew’s version, Luke's account includes both the “Blessed are you” and “Woe to you” teachings. This sparked an incredible discussion on what really matters as we related it to the aftermath of the recent wildfires in some of America's wealthiest areas.

The devastation in LA is almost apocalyptic - scenes we’d expect in war zones, not peaceful neighborhoods. My heart aches for those whose lives have been upended. One day, they were living in paradise; the next day, everything they had, all they had accumulated over the years, was gone. Residents describe feeling numb, lost, and uncertain about what to do next. They mourn over the loss of their homes, their collections, and their memories.

Our middle school group was moved to discuss these fires in relation to Luke chapter six. We acknowledged the tragic loss of life and property and prayed for those affected as we sought wisdom from the passage. The discussion was deep and hit me harder as a 58-year-old than it likely did my young students, though we all grasped this truth: when we die, nothing we accumulate here goes with us. “Stuff,” in the long run, is meaningless and figuratively burned away. 

Knowing this reality raises a few questions for you and me: Why do we still spend so much energy building earthly treasures? What should we be investing in instead for true long-term reward?

Learning from loss

I witnessed this firsthand after my parents passed away (Dad in 2004 and Mom in 2017). My sister and I, along with our kids, kept a few meaningful items they had accumulated over their lives to remember them. Everything else was sold or given away. The “treasures” of my parents’ lives weren’t what was important to me and my family. It was the memories of times shared, wisdom imparted, and unconditional love shown that mattered at the end of their days. These are what we still cherish to this day, and this was the inheritance we treasure..

Jesus addresses this directly:

We are not to build up our earthly “kingdoms” or focus on what the world deems a treasure. All our earthly accumulations will eventually be destroyed, given away, sold, or burned. Instead, we should pursue heavenly treasures that can't be destroyed and have eternal impact.

What are heavenly treasures?

What does this look like practically for men seeking to live for Jesus? I’ve been thinking through it in my own life, and here’s my initial checklist:

One. Cultivate your intimate relationship with Christ first:

• Make time daily for study, meditation, and prayer

• Trust that His ways and timing are perfect and for your best

• Remember that apart from God, you can do nothing lasting, but with Him, all things are possible.

• Share the gospel with those God places in your path.

• Look for a younger man (a son/grandson?) to pour your life and His Word into

Two. Love your wife sacrificially:

• Put her needs before yours.

• Serve without expecting recognition.

• Listen without distraction. Hear her.

• Move toward her in love when she's hurting.

• Seek to know her and love her as your perfect helpmate

• Pray together daily.

• Admit wrong and seek forgiveness.

Three. Lead your children spiritually:

• Understand that your godly example is their greatest inheritance.

• Let them see you in the Word and encourage them lovingly to do the same.

• Lead family prayer consistently.

• Point out God's work and give Him glory.

• Model humility by admitting mistakes.

Four. Invest in authentic brotherhood:

• Find at least one man for total honesty and accountability.

• Share victories, struggles, and sins openly.

• Give and receive Biblical counsel.

• Call each other higher in love.

Five. Use your God-given talents:

• Recognize your unique gifts and how important it is that you utilize them.

• Serve, whether seen or unseen, in the center of your giftedness.

• Remember, all gifts matter equally. None is more important than another

Six. Live obediently:

• Respond promptly to God’s call yet...

• … wait on His timing.

• Share the gospel as prompted.

• Seek Him in decisions.

• Walk in confident faith even without full understanding.

Let’s take action together

I’d love to hear what you’d add to this list. Email me your suggestions for heavenly treasures and practical ways to pursue them. I’ll compile our collective wisdom into a resource for our brotherhood.

Please pray earnestly for those affected by the LA fires—that they would encounter God in new ways, that revival might break out, and that they would know His comfort and peace.

PS: See my personal story of a tragic fire destroying everything in an earlier newsletter. A fire visited my company and burned it to the ground.

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THIS JUST IN
📣 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB 📣 

Training
“For physical training is of some value …” 1 Timothy 4:8

• Brain fog bogging down your memory? Turns out an active lifestyle (including regular exercise, more standing than sitting and habit of getting more than six hours of daily sleep) keeps the frustrating fog at bay. A recent study of 76 men and women ages 50 to 83 who did moderate to vigorous physical activity on a given day did better in memory tests the day after. Take care of your body and your body will take care of your brain. Courtesy ScienceDaily

Nutrition
“… your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

• Elderberry rose to prominence during quarantine as an immunity booster. Turns out that elderberry juice has powerful abilities to manage blood sugar and burn fat. A recent clinical trial with 18 overweight adults found that drinking 12 ounces of elderberry juice daily for a week causes positive changes in the gut microbiome and improves glucose tolerance and fat oxidation. Elderberry juice can be found online (and probably at specialty health food stores) and, based on one source, a two-week supply runs a little north of $225 so not something to do in perpetuity … but may be appropriate for short-term use. Courtesy ScienceDaily

Relationships
“Two are better than one …” Ecclesiastes 4:9

• You already know that helping someone else is one of the fastest ways to buoy your mood in seasons of sadness and distress. But have you tried that with your marriage when you and your spouse were slogging through a rough patch? Check out this practical solution that attracts God’s blessing on your marriage in the course of blessing others through you. Courtesy Focus on the Family

Culture
“You are the salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:13

• We are familiar with the set-up: A panel debate featuring experts representing differing worldviews … except that the guy representing the Christian worldview is a timid, no-name weakling. That is not what Joe Rogan recently did when he hosted yoked Canadian historian and apologist Wesley Huff for a three-hour conversation. More about the significance of this encounter from WORLD Magazine.

Spiritual Gift
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” Romans 12:6

• Want to discover your spiritual gifts? Take the free assessment at spiritualgiftstest.com. Create an account, take the test, and prayerfully consider how to use your gifts for His glory and others’ good.