Making Sense…. Study 2 – Making sense of money (1)


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Making Sense…. Study 2 – Making sense of money (1) Introduction We live in a world which is obsessed with money. People write songs about money and books about money (how to make it and how to make it work for you). Wars are fought over money and sadly, relationships are broken because of money. Some see money as everything while others see it as a ‘necessary evil’ – something “hard to live with but something we can’t live without”. It is sad, but perhaps not surprising that the world’s attitude toward money sometimes finds its way into the church. Some examples such as the Prosperity Gospel are obvious. But there is also a subtle materialism with which many Christians struggle, a worldly attitude to money that we don’t even recognize and would be ashamed to admit. On the other extreme, some Christians treat money as if it is intrinsically evil, something that should never be discussed in pious company. It is for this reason that we all need to be challenged by the Bible to think correctly and to act in a godly way when it comes to money. This study and next week’s study are designed to help us along the way.

Starting out… 1. How do you feel when you hear the word ‘money’?

2. To what extent is the subject of money a. A source of anxiety for you?

b. A cause of conflict in your relationships?

Read and Think 1. Read Psalm 24:1; Psalm 104:24-30; Deuteronomy 8:18; 1 Timothy 4:4 a. What do these passages teach us about God as Creator and Provider?

b. In light of this, what should our attitude be to money and our ability to earn it?

2. Read Matthew 6:24; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17 a. What do these passages teach us about our response as sinners to created things?

b. What warnings do these verses give us for the danger money can be to; i) Our service of God (Matthew 6:24)

ii) Our worship of God (Ephesians 5:5)

iii) Our contentment (1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17)

3. Read Deuteronomy 8:10-18; Matthew 6:19-24; 1 Timothy 6:6-19. a. What do these passages teach us about a Godly attitude to money?

b. How do these passages help us resist the pull of materialism?

c. How do these passages help us with our struggles with discontentment and anxiety?

Apply

1. Look again at the starting out questions. What answers would you give to them in the light of this study?

2. In what way has this study challenged or changed your thinking with regard to money?

1. What do you think your answers to the starting out questions reveal about your heart with regard to money?

2. What needs to change in your heart with regard to money in the light of this study?

1. In what way has this study challenged your current use of money?

2. What action do you need to take in the light of this study?