Key #6 – Giving is the Antidote to Materialism
1 Timothy 6:9-10; 17-19
• Materialism and the desire for wealth and affluence are dangerous diseases
• If that is the disease is there a biblical cure?
• Paul says to:
• Put our hope in God, not in wealth
• Be rich in good deeds
• Be generous and willing to share
• Lay up treasures for the age to come rather than the present age
Matthew 19:21-22
• Giving is the antidote to materialism
• This is what the rich young man was unwilling to do and so he would find no cure for his materialism
• Giving is a vivid reminder and demonstration that it is all about God and not about us
• Giving reminds us that He is the point and that we exist for him rather than the other way around
• God’s money has a higher purpose than my personal affluence
• Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater being and a greater agenda
• Giving affirms Jesus’ lordship
• It dethrones me and exalts him
• It breaks the chains of materialism that would enslave me
• As long as I possess something, there is always a danger in me thinking I own it
• When I give it away, though, I relinquish power, control, and prestige
• When we give we start to recognize God as the true owner, ourselves as servants, and others as the intended beneficiaries of what God has entrusted to us
• Giving doesn’t strip us of vested interests but shifts our vested interests from the present age to the age to come; from self to God
• This truth of giving goes far beyond money and is true of time, wisdom, expertise, etc.
• Giving in any form breaks selfishness in our hearts
• What is your attitude when you give? Are you grateful to God for the opportunity? Do you give begrudgingly? Do you give without really thinking about what you’re doing?
• When you’re having trouble with selfishness have you ever thought of giving as an eventual cure to that?
2 Peter 3:10
• When Christ returns to restore all things (Matt. 19:28; Acts 3:21) the elements of the world (“elements” refers to the basic principles or rudiments of the world’s way of doing things, as in Gal. 4:3, 9; Col. 2:8, 20; Heb. 5:12) will be judged (“laid bare”) and destroyed (see 2 Pet. 3:6 where it is clear that “destroyed” means judged and purified rather than something like annihilated)
• Does that sound frightening or depressing?
• It would sound depressing if everything you had was invested in that age and the elements of this age
• The things of the Kingdom will be preserved and revealed as God restores his entire creation and begins the resurrection age to come
• It would be depressing if we couldn’t use our lives and resources to make a difference for eternity and begin to invest in that age now
• But we can
• So how can we do that specifically? We will begin to look at the answer to that in tomorrow’s study
• When God returns and judges and purifies the earth leaving only the things that are set apart for him will you be revealed as one who barely “made it through the flames” (1 Cor. 3:15) with nothing invested that will last in the age to come or will you be a “wealthy” individual by the standards of that age?
Convictions
• Have you truly embraced giving as a form of obedience and worship to God?
• Do you really see giving as an opportunity to escape selfishness and materialism rather than something that must be endured or done out of obligation?
• Do you treat your possessions and worldly wealth as something that will not last in the age to come or do you over blow their value and significance?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Day 18 - More, More, and More
Key #5 – Live Not For the Dot but For the Line
Ecclesiastes 5:10-15
• What does the author say about the relationship between having wealth and wanting wealth?
• The danger in wealth is that it can lead to being insatiable which means that you can never get enough of something
• What is folly, according to this passage, in constantly seeking more and more personal wealth?
• The great lie in our society is that wealth can bring happiness despite the fact that most lottery winners say that the worst thing that ever happened to them was winning the lottery and a quick glance at the most rich and famous in our society reveals some of the most miserable people on the planet
• Nothing makes a journey more difficult than a heavy backpack filled with nice but unnecessary things
• Every time we purchase something, whether it be a TV, a video game system, or a boat, it changes our priorities as we use it, focus on it, etc.
• The problem isn’t with the new things we buy, it is with us as we begin to become more focused on those things and less on the Kingdom of God and as we find we need more and more things
• As we get enticed by a certain standard of living, we find ourselves working more and more hours to secure a “better life” but it causes us to spend less and less time with our family, with God, etc.
• Providing for our families and having things isn’t bad as long as we constantly make the effort to keep the Kingdom our true priority
• Solomon was among the richest men in the history of the world but that didn’t satisfy him; He just chased the mirage of being satisfied by wealth all the more
• We, unlike Solomon, run out of money before we run out of mirages
• Then we cling to the myth that things we can’t afford will satisfy us
• Have you ever experienced the temptation of being insatiable? Think of how you can be tempted, once you get something, to want more and more things like it or more things to go with what you already have
• Why is being insatiable so dangerous to Christians?
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
• Solomon’s money never ran out and he chased after everything
• What was his conclusion?
• He chased after wealth his whole life and says that in the end he gained what?
• If Solomon’s findings are true, then why do we get so easily fooled and do the same thing he did?
• Is it because our hearts still yearn for treasure here and now?
• We can keep earthly treasures for the moment, and we may derive some temporary enjoyment from them now but if we give them away for the causes that please God, we’ll enjoy eternal treasures that can never be taken from us
• Are you ever tempted to think that the earthly things you see around you are the genuine treasures rather than the mere shadow of genuine heavenly-focused treasures?
• God has given us the ability to turn earthly treasures into heavenly ones by understanding five important keys to our attitude of heart:
• Understanding that God owns everything
• Understanding the God provides for his people
• My heart always goes where I put God’s money
• My true citizenship is in the Kingdom of God
• We live for the line, not for the dot
• With the right attitude of heart we are called to:
• Invest our money in the Kingdom of God
• Give food to the hungry
• Give clothes to the poor
Convictions
• Have you considered what the difference is between providing for basic needs and investing in the present age?
• Are you committed to investing God’s money back into his Kingdom and to care for the poor and needy?
• If you already have committed yourself to that are you prepared to keep it up for the rest of your life?
• If you haven’t fully committed to that, what changes do you need to make in your heart and in your life in order to fully commit to investing in heavenly treasures rather than earthly ones?
Ecclesiastes 5:10-15
• What does the author say about the relationship between having wealth and wanting wealth?
• The danger in wealth is that it can lead to being insatiable which means that you can never get enough of something
• What is folly, according to this passage, in constantly seeking more and more personal wealth?
• The great lie in our society is that wealth can bring happiness despite the fact that most lottery winners say that the worst thing that ever happened to them was winning the lottery and a quick glance at the most rich and famous in our society reveals some of the most miserable people on the planet
• Nothing makes a journey more difficult than a heavy backpack filled with nice but unnecessary things
• Every time we purchase something, whether it be a TV, a video game system, or a boat, it changes our priorities as we use it, focus on it, etc.
• The problem isn’t with the new things we buy, it is with us as we begin to become more focused on those things and less on the Kingdom of God and as we find we need more and more things
• As we get enticed by a certain standard of living, we find ourselves working more and more hours to secure a “better life” but it causes us to spend less and less time with our family, with God, etc.
• Providing for our families and having things isn’t bad as long as we constantly make the effort to keep the Kingdom our true priority
• Solomon was among the richest men in the history of the world but that didn’t satisfy him; He just chased the mirage of being satisfied by wealth all the more
• We, unlike Solomon, run out of money before we run out of mirages
• Then we cling to the myth that things we can’t afford will satisfy us
• Have you ever experienced the temptation of being insatiable? Think of how you can be tempted, once you get something, to want more and more things like it or more things to go with what you already have
• Why is being insatiable so dangerous to Christians?
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
• Solomon’s money never ran out and he chased after everything
• What was his conclusion?
• He chased after wealth his whole life and says that in the end he gained what?
• If Solomon’s findings are true, then why do we get so easily fooled and do the same thing he did?
• Is it because our hearts still yearn for treasure here and now?
• We can keep earthly treasures for the moment, and we may derive some temporary enjoyment from them now but if we give them away for the causes that please God, we’ll enjoy eternal treasures that can never be taken from us
• Are you ever tempted to think that the earthly things you see around you are the genuine treasures rather than the mere shadow of genuine heavenly-focused treasures?
• God has given us the ability to turn earthly treasures into heavenly ones by understanding five important keys to our attitude of heart:
• Understanding that God owns everything
• Understanding the God provides for his people
• My heart always goes where I put God’s money
• My true citizenship is in the Kingdom of God
• We live for the line, not for the dot
• With the right attitude of heart we are called to:
• Invest our money in the Kingdom of God
• Give food to the hungry
• Give clothes to the poor
Convictions
• Have you considered what the difference is between providing for basic needs and investing in the present age?
• Are you committed to investing God’s money back into his Kingdom and to care for the poor and needy?
• If you already have committed yourself to that are you prepared to keep it up for the rest of your life?
• If you haven’t fully committed to that, what changes do you need to make in your heart and in your life in order to fully commit to investing in heavenly treasures rather than earthly ones?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Day 17 - What You Can't Keep
Key #5 – Live Not For the Dot but For the Line
Mark 10:17-26
• When push came to shove, the rich young man could not enter into the Kingdom of God because he was ultimately focused on the dot, not on the line
• He couldn’t see past his own desires and felt needs in the present age and so could not grasp the idea of living by the values of the age to come (the line) rather than the present age (the dot)
• The person who lives for the dot lives for treasures on earth and makes investments that will not last into eternity
• Giving generously for God’s Kingdom is living for the line
Luke 9:25-26
• We will all part with our money, the question is when
• We can part with it now, willingly, and put our heart and treasure in God’s reality of the age to come . . . .
• Or we will lose everything one day with nothing to show for it
• It’s our choice whether we want to make an investment now that will last by giving to God or keep for ourselves and invest in things that will be worthless one day
• We can keep earthly treasures for the moment, and we may derive some temporary enjoyment from them now but if we give them away for the causes that please God, we’ll enjoy eternal treasures that can never be taken from us
• Have you ever thought of applying Jesus’ principle of saving and losing your life in the present age only to receive the opposite of that in the age to come, to your possessions and wealth?
• What does “giving is living for the line” mean to you?
• You might blow Jim Elliot off as a “super spiritual” type of missionary who never thinks of gain
• That would be to miss the point because gain is exactly what he is thinking about
• He wanted the type of gain that you couldn’t lose
• Anything you invest in earthly treasures will be lost completely
• Anything you invest in heavenly treasures will continue to build interest and be useful for eternity
• Think of these statistics
• The average American shops six hours a week while spending forty minutes playing with their children
• By age 20, the average American has seen one million commercials
• More Americans have declared bankruptcy than graduated from college
• Arguments about money play a prominent role in 90% of divorce cases
• There is a striking scene at the end of the movie “Schindler’s List” where he looks at each possession he still has and laments over how many people he could have saved had he only given up that thing
• Have you ever done that with your possessions and thought of the good that could be done if you invested more in God’s Kingdom?
• The reality is that when we live with our eye on the line, we can actually do more good in the present age, a truth that Schindler realized finally at the end of the war
Convictions
• Are you willing to sacrifice your comfort and worldly wealth for the Kingdom of God?
• Are you willing to keep just what you need to get by and live with your eyes on the line rather than the dot?
Mark 10:17-26
• When push came to shove, the rich young man could not enter into the Kingdom of God because he was ultimately focused on the dot, not on the line
• He couldn’t see past his own desires and felt needs in the present age and so could not grasp the idea of living by the values of the age to come (the line) rather than the present age (the dot)
• The person who lives for the dot lives for treasures on earth and makes investments that will not last into eternity
• Giving generously for God’s Kingdom is living for the line
Luke 9:25-26
• We will all part with our money, the question is when
• We can part with it now, willingly, and put our heart and treasure in God’s reality of the age to come . . . .
• Or we will lose everything one day with nothing to show for it
• It’s our choice whether we want to make an investment now that will last by giving to God or keep for ourselves and invest in things that will be worthless one day
• We can keep earthly treasures for the moment, and we may derive some temporary enjoyment from them now but if we give them away for the causes that please God, we’ll enjoy eternal treasures that can never be taken from us
• Have you ever thought of applying Jesus’ principle of saving and losing your life in the present age only to receive the opposite of that in the age to come, to your possessions and wealth?
• What does “giving is living for the line” mean to you?
• You might blow Jim Elliot off as a “super spiritual” type of missionary who never thinks of gain
• That would be to miss the point because gain is exactly what he is thinking about
• He wanted the type of gain that you couldn’t lose
• Anything you invest in earthly treasures will be lost completely
• Anything you invest in heavenly treasures will continue to build interest and be useful for eternity
• Think of these statistics
• The average American shops six hours a week while spending forty minutes playing with their children
• By age 20, the average American has seen one million commercials
• More Americans have declared bankruptcy than graduated from college
• Arguments about money play a prominent role in 90% of divorce cases
• There is a striking scene at the end of the movie “Schindler’s List” where he looks at each possession he still has and laments over how many people he could have saved had he only given up that thing
• Have you ever done that with your possessions and thought of the good that could be done if you invested more in God’s Kingdom?
• The reality is that when we live with our eye on the line, we can actually do more good in the present age, a truth that Schindler realized finally at the end of the war
Convictions
• Are you willing to sacrifice your comfort and worldly wealth for the Kingdom of God?
• Are you willing to keep just what you need to get by and live with your eyes on the line rather than the dot?
Monday, May 24, 2010
Day 16 - A Dot and a Line
Key #4 – We Have a Kingdom Citizenship
Hebrews 11:13; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:16
• If we consider these passages in context we realize that the point of citizenship in the ancient Roman world was generally that your citizenship was in Rome but your call was not to try to move back to Rome one day but to expand the borders of the Empire by moving to new areas and showing the people around you how to live like a Roman and calling them to “convert” to the Roman culture and way of life themselves
• Our citizenship is in the Kingdom of God and we need to always remember that
• We represent our true citizenship to those around us, showing them what it looks like to be loyal to God, do his will, and calling others to this type of citizenship as well
• We are aliens in the present age in that we should not conform to the culture and patterns of those around us in the world but should demonstrate citizenship in the Kingdom of God
• Where you choose to store your treasure depends largely on where your citizenship is
• If people had to judge your citizenship only by the way you live your life and handle your resources would they think you were citizens of the world just like everyone else or would they be able to tell that you were a citizen of the Kingdom of God?
• Imagine that you had to leave your home in the US and go to Europe to work and live for 6 months in a hotel
• You won’t be able to bring anything back on your flight home
• Would you send most of the money you earned back to the US or would you fill your hotel room with all sorts of expensive furniture and appliances?
• You would keep enough to get by and would invest your money in your home
• Our home is in the age to come not in the present age so does it make sense to invest most of your resources in the things of this present age or in the age to come?
• Do you live as though your citizenship is in the Kingdom of God? How does understanding that you are a citizen of the Kingdom make your life different from those around you?
1 Peter 1:3-5
• The restoration of God’s creation (Matt. 19:28; Acts 3:21) will come one day and all things that are not fitting for God’s Kingdom will be judged and removed
• Heaven and earth will no longer be separated (Eph. 1:10; Rev. 21:1-5) and we will be in a sin-free environment where the will of God rules in the hearts of everyone
• Can you imagine what that will be like?
• We will be transformed (Phil. 3:21) so that we will be absolutely at home in such in environment in the presence of the holy God for eternity
• It makes sense to live for and invest in the eternal and Godly things that will be part of the age to come rather than the profane things that will be laid bare and eliminated (see 2 Pet. 3:10 where “the elements” basically refers to the “abc’s of the present age”)
• In what ways do you live with the reality of the coming age in mind?
• The old bumper sticker says “he who dies with the most toys wins” and many live as though that’s true, but we know that when we die the toys become meaningless to us in eternity
• Think of your life in terms of a dot and a line
• Our life in the present age lasts for a brief time and then is done
• It is a dot
• But then from that dot, a line extends that goes on for eternity in the presence of God
Convictions
• Are you living for the dot or the line?
• The shortsighted person lives for the dot. The person with perspective lives for the line.
• For which one will you live?
Hebrews 11:13; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:16
• If we consider these passages in context we realize that the point of citizenship in the ancient Roman world was generally that your citizenship was in Rome but your call was not to try to move back to Rome one day but to expand the borders of the Empire by moving to new areas and showing the people around you how to live like a Roman and calling them to “convert” to the Roman culture and way of life themselves
• Our citizenship is in the Kingdom of God and we need to always remember that
• We represent our true citizenship to those around us, showing them what it looks like to be loyal to God, do his will, and calling others to this type of citizenship as well
• We are aliens in the present age in that we should not conform to the culture and patterns of those around us in the world but should demonstrate citizenship in the Kingdom of God
• Where you choose to store your treasure depends largely on where your citizenship is
• If people had to judge your citizenship only by the way you live your life and handle your resources would they think you were citizens of the world just like everyone else or would they be able to tell that you were a citizen of the Kingdom of God?
• Imagine that you had to leave your home in the US and go to Europe to work and live for 6 months in a hotel
• You won’t be able to bring anything back on your flight home
• Would you send most of the money you earned back to the US or would you fill your hotel room with all sorts of expensive furniture and appliances?
• You would keep enough to get by and would invest your money in your home
• Our home is in the age to come not in the present age so does it make sense to invest most of your resources in the things of this present age or in the age to come?
• Do you live as though your citizenship is in the Kingdom of God? How does understanding that you are a citizen of the Kingdom make your life different from those around you?
1 Peter 1:3-5
• The restoration of God’s creation (Matt. 19:28; Acts 3:21) will come one day and all things that are not fitting for God’s Kingdom will be judged and removed
• Heaven and earth will no longer be separated (Eph. 1:10; Rev. 21:1-5) and we will be in a sin-free environment where the will of God rules in the hearts of everyone
• Can you imagine what that will be like?
• We will be transformed (Phil. 3:21) so that we will be absolutely at home in such in environment in the presence of the holy God for eternity
• It makes sense to live for and invest in the eternal and Godly things that will be part of the age to come rather than the profane things that will be laid bare and eliminated (see 2 Pet. 3:10 where “the elements” basically refers to the “abc’s of the present age”)
• In what ways do you live with the reality of the coming age in mind?
• The old bumper sticker says “he who dies with the most toys wins” and many live as though that’s true, but we know that when we die the toys become meaningless to us in eternity
• Think of your life in terms of a dot and a line
• Our life in the present age lasts for a brief time and then is done
• It is a dot
• But then from that dot, a line extends that goes on for eternity in the presence of God
Convictions
• Are you living for the dot or the line?
• The shortsighted person lives for the dot. The person with perspective lives for the line.
• For which one will you live?
Friday, May 21, 2010
Day 15 - Follow the Drip
Key #3 – My Heart Always Follows My Money
Matthew 6:21
• If you want to know where your heart really is look to see where your treasure is
• Check your credit card statement, your checkbook, your receipts, and your schedule, and you’ll find quite quickly where your heart really is
• Suppose you bought a great deal of stock in Microsoft. What would happen?
• You would quickly develop an interest in Microsoft
• You will check the financial pages regularly
• You’ll see a magazine article about Microsoft and read every word carefully, even though a month ago you would have passed it over
• The point is that our heart, focus, and attention follow where our money leads
• Suppose you’re giving money to help children with AIDS. When you see an article on that subject, you’re hooked.
• If you are sending money to plant churches in India and an earthquake hits India, you watch the news and fervently pray
• Where money leads, the heart will follow
• Many people have prayed and wished to have more of a heart to make disciples
• Jesus tells us exactly how to do this
• Put your money where your heart needs to be and your heart will follow – reallocate some of your money and see what happens to your heart
• Move most of your money from temporal things to eternal investments and see what happens
• God wants your heart
• He is not looking for people who give because they have to
• He is looking for disciples immersed in the causes they give to
• He wants people that are so filled with a vision for eternity that they wouldn’t dream of NOT investing their money, time, and prayers where they will matter most
• Many of us give our tithes but beyond that do you have the heart to move as much of your money as you can to invest in eternal things rather than temporal things?
• Does the thought of giving increasingly more of your resources to God and his Kingdom excite or worry you? Why do you think that is?
Hebrews 11:26
• Moses left Egypt’s vast treasures behind because he was looking ahead to the unseen rewards of investing what he had in God’s Kingdom
• Part of the reason that so many ministers, for instance, are so invested in their heart in God’s Kingdom is because many of them have sacrificed salaries and so much else for the church
• Their heart simply followed their investment in the Kingdom of God over and against worldly wealth (as 1 Timothy 6 warns, though, some ministers sadly fall into the same desire to be wealthy and use the ministry as a means to that, which is completely sinful)
• Giving our money away is obviously not the only good thing that we can do with our money
• We need to feed, clothe, house, educate and transport our families…
• But when the basics are taken care of, why shouldn’t the rest go towards treasures in heaven?
• The person who lays up treasures on earth spends his life living for that treasure – to him, his own death is loss
• He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to the age to come
• He’s moving daily towards his eternal treasure
• To him death is gain
• If you spend your life living for here, you have all the reason in the world to live in despair when you think of death
• But if you spend your life towards eternity, you can only look forward to rejoicing
• Whether you will live in despair or with much rejoicing is up to you
Luke 12:15
• God warns us of the danger of being greedy and not giving and that he will reward us when we do, so why is it so hard to give?
• There are so many roadblocks to giving: Unbelief, insecurity, pride, idolatry, selfishness, desire for power and control, lack of faith, etc.
• The greatest deterrent to giving will be the next key that we will begin looking at tomorrow
• What are the most difficult roadblocks for you that often tempt you to not give or not give as radically as you could?
Convictions
• Knowing that your heart follows your money are you extremely thoughtful, prayerful, and careful of where you put your money?
• Do you truly see that how you handle your money in every area of your life is part of your act of worship to God?
Matthew 6:21
• If you want to know where your heart really is look to see where your treasure is
• Check your credit card statement, your checkbook, your receipts, and your schedule, and you’ll find quite quickly where your heart really is
• Suppose you bought a great deal of stock in Microsoft. What would happen?
• You would quickly develop an interest in Microsoft
• You will check the financial pages regularly
• You’ll see a magazine article about Microsoft and read every word carefully, even though a month ago you would have passed it over
• The point is that our heart, focus, and attention follow where our money leads
• Suppose you’re giving money to help children with AIDS. When you see an article on that subject, you’re hooked.
• If you are sending money to plant churches in India and an earthquake hits India, you watch the news and fervently pray
• Where money leads, the heart will follow
• Many people have prayed and wished to have more of a heart to make disciples
• Jesus tells us exactly how to do this
• Put your money where your heart needs to be and your heart will follow – reallocate some of your money and see what happens to your heart
• Move most of your money from temporal things to eternal investments and see what happens
• God wants your heart
• He is not looking for people who give because they have to
• He is looking for disciples immersed in the causes they give to
• He wants people that are so filled with a vision for eternity that they wouldn’t dream of NOT investing their money, time, and prayers where they will matter most
• Many of us give our tithes but beyond that do you have the heart to move as much of your money as you can to invest in eternal things rather than temporal things?
• Does the thought of giving increasingly more of your resources to God and his Kingdom excite or worry you? Why do you think that is?
Hebrews 11:26
• Moses left Egypt’s vast treasures behind because he was looking ahead to the unseen rewards of investing what he had in God’s Kingdom
• Part of the reason that so many ministers, for instance, are so invested in their heart in God’s Kingdom is because many of them have sacrificed salaries and so much else for the church
• Their heart simply followed their investment in the Kingdom of God over and against worldly wealth (as 1 Timothy 6 warns, though, some ministers sadly fall into the same desire to be wealthy and use the ministry as a means to that, which is completely sinful)
• Giving our money away is obviously not the only good thing that we can do with our money
• We need to feed, clothe, house, educate and transport our families…
• But when the basics are taken care of, why shouldn’t the rest go towards treasures in heaven?
• The person who lays up treasures on earth spends his life living for that treasure – to him, his own death is loss
• He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to the age to come
• He’s moving daily towards his eternal treasure
• To him death is gain
• If you spend your life living for here, you have all the reason in the world to live in despair when you think of death
• But if you spend your life towards eternity, you can only look forward to rejoicing
• Whether you will live in despair or with much rejoicing is up to you
Luke 12:15
• God warns us of the danger of being greedy and not giving and that he will reward us when we do, so why is it so hard to give?
• There are so many roadblocks to giving: Unbelief, insecurity, pride, idolatry, selfishness, desire for power and control, lack of faith, etc.
• The greatest deterrent to giving will be the next key that we will begin looking at tomorrow
• What are the most difficult roadblocks for you that often tempt you to not give or not give as radically as you could?
Convictions
• Knowing that your heart follows your money are you extremely thoughtful, prayerful, and careful of where you put your money?
• Do you truly see that how you handle your money in every area of your life is part of your act of worship to God?
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Day 14 - Productive Steward
Key #2 – God Provides For His People
Luke 12:35-46
• All Christians have been called to be stewards or servants of God’s resources
• Good stewards are always ready and always living in view of the reality to which we belong in the life of Christ
• When we are selfish, self-focused, or not good managers we demonstrate a lack of belief in the reality of God’s ownership, provision for his people, and rule over all of creation and our role as mere stewards of all to which he has entrusted us
• Stewards don’t bury or put to waste resources but put them to work by offering them to God first and then making them profitable
• To do this we must learn to be stewards in all areas of our lives
• Do you spend time thinking about what God’s will is for the things that he has provided you with?
• Do you truly use the resources that God has given you to advance his Kingdom or have you squandered much of them?
1 Peter 4:10
• Why does Paul urge Timothy to flee from the love of money? What does he want him to pursue instead?
• We are called to be stewards of the grace that God has given us
• It may be gifts, talents, abilities, time, knowledge, etc.
• God wants us to be productive with the things that he has given us. The words “productive” literally means “a positive” (pro) “flow” (duct). God wants to pour things into us so that we can allow them to flow through us to others
• When we pool up what God pours in it gets just like an algae-infested pond that has no outlet. We need to pour out what God gives us so that we do not become stagnant
• What are the things that God has given you to call you to be a good steward of?
• What does it mean to be a good steward of:
• Gifts
• Talents
• Abilities
• Time
• The Word of God
• The Gospel
• God provides for us much more than just monetarily but when we refuse to use any gifts that he has given us for his glory and his Kingdom we deny the grace to others that God wants to pour out through us
• How have you allowed God to pour out his grace through your life? How have you kept that grace locked up?
Galatians 2:20
• In order to truly be God’s steward we must first give up the rights of ownership to our own life
• We cannot be good stewards in the life of Christ that has been given us if we insist on maintaining ownership rights to our own lives
• Can you, like Paul, truly say that you have been crucified to your own will and no longer live?
• In what areas of your life are you still trying to maintain ownership rights and/or provide for yourself rather than trusting God?
Malachi 3:7-12
• This passage was written during the Old Covenant but the principles of giving and stewardship came before the law and continue to apply in the New Covenant
• They had demonstrated that they had left God by being poor stewards and refusing to give God what was his
• God asked for a mere tenth of all that he had given them as a reminder to them that everything had come from him and that they were mere stewards
• The tithe means literally “a tenth”
• The difference in covenants means that our blessings come in the life of Christ rather than in physical and material blessings but we are still called to be stewards in every area of our life including our finances
• Being a good steward means more than just giving ten percent to God, though, it means managing our resources well and being good stewards so that we can give generously to God and to those in need
Convictions
• Do you know and trust God as your provider?
• How does it change your view of finances to really embrace the thought that God promises to provide for the needs of his children?
Luke 12:35-46
• All Christians have been called to be stewards or servants of God’s resources
• Good stewards are always ready and always living in view of the reality to which we belong in the life of Christ
• When we are selfish, self-focused, or not good managers we demonstrate a lack of belief in the reality of God’s ownership, provision for his people, and rule over all of creation and our role as mere stewards of all to which he has entrusted us
• Stewards don’t bury or put to waste resources but put them to work by offering them to God first and then making them profitable
• To do this we must learn to be stewards in all areas of our lives
• Do you spend time thinking about what God’s will is for the things that he has provided you with?
• Do you truly use the resources that God has given you to advance his Kingdom or have you squandered much of them?
1 Peter 4:10
• Why does Paul urge Timothy to flee from the love of money? What does he want him to pursue instead?
• We are called to be stewards of the grace that God has given us
• It may be gifts, talents, abilities, time, knowledge, etc.
• God wants us to be productive with the things that he has given us. The words “productive” literally means “a positive” (pro) “flow” (duct). God wants to pour things into us so that we can allow them to flow through us to others
• When we pool up what God pours in it gets just like an algae-infested pond that has no outlet. We need to pour out what God gives us so that we do not become stagnant
• What are the things that God has given you to call you to be a good steward of?
• What does it mean to be a good steward of:
• Gifts
• Talents
• Abilities
• Time
• The Word of God
• The Gospel
• God provides for us much more than just monetarily but when we refuse to use any gifts that he has given us for his glory and his Kingdom we deny the grace to others that God wants to pour out through us
• How have you allowed God to pour out his grace through your life? How have you kept that grace locked up?
Galatians 2:20
• In order to truly be God’s steward we must first give up the rights of ownership to our own life
• We cannot be good stewards in the life of Christ that has been given us if we insist on maintaining ownership rights to our own lives
• Can you, like Paul, truly say that you have been crucified to your own will and no longer live?
• In what areas of your life are you still trying to maintain ownership rights and/or provide for yourself rather than trusting God?
Malachi 3:7-12
• This passage was written during the Old Covenant but the principles of giving and stewardship came before the law and continue to apply in the New Covenant
• They had demonstrated that they had left God by being poor stewards and refusing to give God what was his
• God asked for a mere tenth of all that he had given them as a reminder to them that everything had come from him and that they were mere stewards
• The tithe means literally “a tenth”
• The difference in covenants means that our blessings come in the life of Christ rather than in physical and material blessings but we are still called to be stewards in every area of our life including our finances
• Being a good steward means more than just giving ten percent to God, though, it means managing our resources well and being good stewards so that we can give generously to God and to those in need
Convictions
• Do you know and trust God as your provider?
• How does it change your view of finances to really embrace the thought that God promises to provide for the needs of his children?
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Day 13 - Taking Hold
Key #2 – God Provides For His People
1 Timothy 6:5-10
• Why are godliness and financial gain so diametrically opposed to one another?
• What does Paul mean when he urges Christians to think of godliness and contentment together as their gain rather than financial gain
• What happens to those who desire to be rich in this present age?
• What is the root of all kinds of evil?
• Notice that it’s not money that Paul says is the root but the love of money. What is the difference in that distinction?
• What effect can the love of money have specifically on the faith of Christians?
• In what ways is it a struggle for you to be content with godliness in whatever circumstances God has put you?
• Can you think of any situations in which you saw someone not protect themselves against a love for money or possessions and wandered from the faith? What can you learn from that example?
1 Timothy 6:11-16
• Why does Paul urge Timothy to flee from the love of money? What does he want him to pursue instead?
• In verse 12, he literally urges him to take hold of the life of the age to come (translated “eternal life” in most English translations)
• In the early Christian thought, eternal life wasn’t just something that we looked forward to when we died. It was the life of the resurrection age, the age to come
• When we make our confession of Jesus as Lord at our baptisms, we are taking hold of that life right now in the present age and consecrating ourselves to live by the values of that life now
• The love for money and financial gain in the present age cannot coexist with the life of the age to come. The problem is that the love of money is rooted in the present age while Christians are to be focused on learning to live in the age to come
• In what ways have you taken hold of the life of the age to come right now?
• In what ways do you feel like you’re still living by the values of the present age rather than the age to come?
1 Timothy 6:17-19
• Verse 17 demonstrates that Paul is not opposed to wealth but to the ungodly attitudes that so often accompany it
• What does he describe as the great danger for those who are wealthy?
• The problem with wealth is that we begin to trust it and think that it provides for us rather than God
• We put our hope in the source which provides for us
• We must never waver in maintaining our conviction that God provides everything for us
• What does Paul say Christians should do with their possessions?
• What is the result of this?
• When we act in generosity and use our wealth according to the values of the age to come, we store up treasures for ourselves in that coming age
• One of the primary ways that we can take hold of the life of the age to come is to handle our possessions according to the reality of that life rather than the present age
• In what ways do you struggle with acting constantly in generosity and sharing in the present age?
Convictions
• Do you have a conviction to be on constant guard against the materialism that so pervades our culture and to embrace the values of contentment and generosity of the resurrection age?
• How can you specifically take hold of the life that is truly life right now beyond what you have already been doing?
1 Timothy 6:5-10
• Why are godliness and financial gain so diametrically opposed to one another?
• What does Paul mean when he urges Christians to think of godliness and contentment together as their gain rather than financial gain
• What happens to those who desire to be rich in this present age?
• What is the root of all kinds of evil?
• Notice that it’s not money that Paul says is the root but the love of money. What is the difference in that distinction?
• What effect can the love of money have specifically on the faith of Christians?
• In what ways is it a struggle for you to be content with godliness in whatever circumstances God has put you?
• Can you think of any situations in which you saw someone not protect themselves against a love for money or possessions and wandered from the faith? What can you learn from that example?
1 Timothy 6:11-16
• Why does Paul urge Timothy to flee from the love of money? What does he want him to pursue instead?
• In verse 12, he literally urges him to take hold of the life of the age to come (translated “eternal life” in most English translations)
• In the early Christian thought, eternal life wasn’t just something that we looked forward to when we died. It was the life of the resurrection age, the age to come
• When we make our confession of Jesus as Lord at our baptisms, we are taking hold of that life right now in the present age and consecrating ourselves to live by the values of that life now
• The love for money and financial gain in the present age cannot coexist with the life of the age to come. The problem is that the love of money is rooted in the present age while Christians are to be focused on learning to live in the age to come
• In what ways have you taken hold of the life of the age to come right now?
• In what ways do you feel like you’re still living by the values of the present age rather than the age to come?
1 Timothy 6:17-19
• Verse 17 demonstrates that Paul is not opposed to wealth but to the ungodly attitudes that so often accompany it
• What does he describe as the great danger for those who are wealthy?
• The problem with wealth is that we begin to trust it and think that it provides for us rather than God
• We put our hope in the source which provides for us
• We must never waver in maintaining our conviction that God provides everything for us
• What does Paul say Christians should do with their possessions?
• What is the result of this?
• When we act in generosity and use our wealth according to the values of the age to come, we store up treasures for ourselves in that coming age
• One of the primary ways that we can take hold of the life of the age to come is to handle our possessions according to the reality of that life rather than the present age
• In what ways do you struggle with acting constantly in generosity and sharing in the present age?
Convictions
• Do you have a conviction to be on constant guard against the materialism that so pervades our culture and to embrace the values of contentment and generosity of the resurrection age?
• How can you specifically take hold of the life that is truly life right now beyond what you have already been doing?
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