Memory verse: Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything.  1 Chronicles 29:11

So as I mentioned, the Bible says alot about money and possessions, and yet for many, we know so little about it. So to start off our study, let’s understand a little more why God says so much about this subject.

1. To grow our spiritual lives.

Since this is such a huge subject in His Word, that means that the more we study and understand it, the more we grow close to our Lord and our understanding of His heart.  How we handle money has a significant impact on the intimacy of our relationship with Christ.

“If therefore you are not faithful in the use of worldly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you” Luke 16:11

 ” No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money” Mathew 6:24

 “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” Matthew 6:21

Money competes with God for our time and attention. Let’s give an example.  You buy a brand new boat. It’s a beautiful boat and you love using it. Every weekend when you come home from the lake, you clean it and polish it. You go over the motor and prop meticulously looking for any damage. You are incredibly proud of this boat. This is a great thing! The Lord has blessed you with the means to buy yourself something nice to enjoy the world He created.  Or maybe we invested into the stock market. What do we automatically do next? We check on how it’s doing, probably everyday. We invest our “treasure” into a possession, and, in turn, our attention or “desires of our heart” will automatically be focused on that item.  The trick, though, is not allowing it to become something that robs your time with the Lord, an idol you may even want to call it. It’s learning to balance everything.

 

2. For practical reasons

God only wants the best for his children, and so he has given us a plan to live our lives the best way possible. He gave us very clear principles on all areas of money including work, spending, saving, investing, giving, getting out of debt, and teaching your kids. The world, however, tends to lead us in the very opposite direction that the bible teaches.

“for My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord, “for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. ”   Isaiah 55:8-9

 

Prayer: Lord, you are awesome and mighty, and your ways are perfect. God I pray you help my thoughts be like Yours. Thank you for your blessings and provision. God teach me to be faithful with what you have given me. Thank you Lord, Amen.

 

They say that the number one reason couples fight is over finances. Each and every one of us face financial decisions on a daily basis. We are in debt, we have little or no savings, we are worried about retirement, and we have no plan. Or, we have enough or more than enough money, but we just aren’t sure how to use it in a way God would approve. Either way, God provides the answers in His Word. The bible contains over 2300 verses dealing with money and possessions, more than almost every other subject in the bible, and yet a very misunderstood or maybe uncomfortable topic for many.

Over the next several weeks, we are going to explore some of the biblical guidance the bible gives us, as well as doing some practical things like learning how to set up a basic budget. I will also give you a verse to memorize every week, which will help you remember some of the basic principles God wants to teach us.

Over the years i have followed the Crown Financial  Ministry “Discovering God’s way of Handling money” as well as any Dave Ramsey teaching, which you would discover are practically identical. So a majority of the material we will cover will be based on these ministries. Let’s start with a memory verse for this week. This verse will pop up every day until I add another one

“Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything” 1 Chronicles 29:11  NLT

Tomorrow we will begin our study. Today, meditate on this verse. Pray about this verse. What stands out to you? Is there something here you hadn’t thought of before?

 

Prayer: Lord we ask for your wisdom and understanding through these next weeks. Open our eyes to Your truths. Amen