The Stewardship of Money get_app
Ahhhhh...finally! Here it is! The part where every cynical person finally gets to say, “I knew it! The church just wants my money!” Yes, we are going to talk about the stewardship of our money. Is there anything more volatile to people than discussing money? Hahaha, probably not. However, that does point us to the very issue of why we MUST steward our money for the glory of God; otherwise, it becomes our focus. And Matthew 6:24 points out that we can’t allow money to become our priority or it might soon become our controlling force. We must choose to steward it well to honor God.
Read
- Is money itself the root of all evil?
(NO! the LOVE of money is) - What does the craving of money do to some people?
(leave the faith)
Money, in and of itself, is not the enemy. It is merely a tool to use just like anything else we own or do. It’s how we use it and think about it that determines whether we’re going to glorify the Lord with it.
Read
- Who do the master, the servants, and the talents represent?
(the master – God, servants – people/us, talents – money and giftings) - What did the first two servants do with their talents and what was their reward?
(used them to double their money and were given more to be in charge of) - What did the third servant do and what was his punishment?
(buried it and did nothing and he was cast out into the darkness) - Given this parable, if you truly believe God has given us everything, including our money,
what should we be doing with it?
(serving God and being faithful with it)
Read
- What will make us “cheerful givers”?
(recognize the choice to glorify God with our money) - What do verses 11 and 12 say will result from this?
(thanksgiving to God) - In verse 13, what kind of response will others have to this type of giving attitude?
(they will glorify God)
It is a testimony to our faith, both to ourselves and to others, that when we are given good gifts from our Lord and we use them to give back to God and others, then that generosity will be seen and God WILL be glorified by it. Think of all those who give large amounts to charities and how highly people think of them for it. When we give, we give not under duress or an order, butjoyfully, willingly, and with the hope that if others see this that they would glorify God because of it. God never has FORCED us to do this even though He COULD. It’s the heart of the follower that matters most here when we steward our gifts. Let’s close with this passage.
Read
- What does the Lord require of us?
(do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God) - How can you use these three things to steward all aspects of your life better?
God doesn’t want our stuff. It’s not even “ours” anyway, as we’ve learned this week. He wants US, and He wants what we do and use to bring Him glory! It’s not about trying to figure out how to fix what is broken or wrong with what we’re doing, but shifting our mind’s focus to think “how can I be a good steward with what I am doing, given the abilities God has blessed me with?” and then getting busy doing it.
Evaluate on a scale from 1 to 10 how good you are at stewarding your money.
Pray today to ask God to form your heart and mind to be a cheerful giver who desires to use what you’ve been given to bring glory to Him alone. Talk about what, if anything, needs to change in how you view and use the resources God has blessed you with.
Close by singing "Speak, O Lord" and be reminded of our joyful calling to bring God glory.