One Of My New Favorite Phrases, And Why It Should Be Yours Too
A friend (Ryan Pramberg) used a phrase several months ago with me that has not left my mind: Kingdom ROI.
ROI, of course, stands for “return on investment.” It is the kind of language we normally use for business, stocks, savings accounts, and financial decisions. We want to know if what we put in will be worth what we get out. But when my friend talked about Kingdom ROI, he was not talking about padding a portfolio. He was talking about money in light of eternity. He was talking about seeing our time, talents, and treasure as resources entrusted to us by God for the advancement of His Kingdom.
And honestly, I think it has become one of my new favorite phrases.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:19–21,
“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… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus is not saying, “Never build a business. Never buy a house. Never save. Never enjoy what God provides.” He is putting life into context. He is reminding us that everything we build here will eventually fade. Earthly treasure can rot, rust, be stolen, collapse, disappear, or be forgotten. In our day, we might add: it can be locked away forever because someone lost the password to their crypto wallet (yes, that actually has happened).
The point is not that money is evil. The point is that money is temporary. If it becomes our treasure, then our hearts become tied to something that cannot last.
That is why Jesus presses deeper. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Your money does not merely reveal what you buy. It reveals what you love. It reveals what you are aiming at. It reveals what you believe will last.
“The point is not that money is evil. The point is that money is temporary.”
We often like to imagine that we can multitask with our hearts. We can treasure heaven and earth. We can live for God and live for money. We can pursue the Kingdom and still build our own little kingdoms on the side. But we are single-direction beings. Our hearts are always oriented somewhere. We are always moving toward a treasure. We are always being shaped by what we love most. This is why generosity is not just about the amount given. It is about the position of the heart.
Then Jesus gives another image: “The eye is the lamp of the body.” In context, He is still talking about money and generosity. A healthy eye is not merely good vision; it is a generous, sincere, undivided way of seeing. A bad eye is stingy, greedy, clouded by self-protection and self-interest. In other words, what you look at reveals what you prioritize. Are you looking at money as security? Status? Comfort? Control? Or are you looking at it as a tool placed in your hands by God?
That brings us back to Kingdom ROI. What if we began asking a different set of questions? Not merely, “Can I afford this?” but “Will this serve the Kingdom of God?” Not merely, “What will this do for me?” but “What has God entrusted to me, and how can I use it for His purposes?” Jesus concludes with one of the clearest statements in all of Scripture: “You cannot serve God and money.” Not “should not.” Cannot.
Money, when served, does not remain a neutral thing. It becomes a master. It makes demands. It asks for sacrifices. Serve God, and He will require you to sacrifice money. Serve money, and it will eventually require you to sacrifice obedience, mission, faith, and sometimes even God Himself. But money in the hands of a disciple is not an idol. It is a tool. When you serve God, money becomes a messenger. It goes where He sends it. It does what He assigns. It advances what He loves.
So here is the question: whose wishes are being accomplished with what God has given you? The dollars that pass through your life are asking one question: Will this serve the Kingdom of God, or the kingdom of self? That is why I love the phrase Kingdom ROI. It reminds me that what we do in this life echoes into eternity. God has given us time, talent, and treasure not merely to maintain our comfort, but to build His Kingdom.
So dream with the Lord.
What has He entrusted to you?
What could be leveraged for eternal purposes?
What would it look like to measure your life not by accumulation, but by faithfulness?
As single-direction beings, we must choose our treasure.
Choose Christ. Follow Him. Be shaped by His priorities, motivated by His heart, and pursue the Kingdom of Heaven, which will reign forevermore.
