Study 52 "Jesus, Lord of my money"
We began by trying to define what 'money' is, and we said that it is a way of measuring value. We exchange money for what is valuable to us - goods or services. Money is a symbol of all the world can offer (Piper). And money has such a hold on us, because it is 'congealed life' (Zacharias), that we have to invest time and energy to obtain.
The Bible neither says that money is good or bad. Money can be a blessing from God, but it can also be a curse that draws us away from God. Money represents a system that is opposed to God (Mt 6:24). Money is dangerous. It takes a supernatural work of God to save us from our love of the world that money represents (Mk 10:23-25)
We talked about the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The theme of the parable is stewardship - the use of resources given to us that are not our own. We are to be responsible and accountable for what we have, since it all comes from God. The return expected of us must be in proportion to what we have been entrusted with. The servant who received the one talent was described as "wicked and lazy", because he had refused to allow his master to derive benefit from his dealings. This was because he had not understood that his master was not, in fact, a 'hard' man who profited from the work of others but one who was full of joy that he wanted to share. We must see God not as a taker, but as a giver.
1 Timothy 6 presents money as something that promises gain, and contrasts it against 'godliness with contentment', which is truly .great gain'. Money is deceitful (Mt 13:22), because it cannot provide real life ('truly life', v.19) We are taught not to love money and not to desire to be rich.This is because money has no eternal value (we can't take it with us, v.7), because the basics of life are what is important, not the wants (v. 8) and because the desire for riches is eternally destructive (v.9-10). I mentioned Phil 4:11-13 as Paul's perspective on contentment to help us to understand the concepts of contentment and covetousness. Paul says that he is content when he has plenty and when he has little, not merely when he has little. This tells us that the secret of his contentment is that it is not found in what he owns, but is fully in God. Godliness is a god-centered perspective on life that enables us to be satisfied in every situation. So if we desire for more, it must not be because we are dissatisfied with our present situation.
Shaun and Wen Ai then contributed a beautiful sharing about how this was true in their own lives.
We then spent some time talking about loans and debt. We concluded that there is a 'good' kind of debt and a 'bad' kind of debt. In essence, 'good' debt requires good motivations and should not exceed our ability to repay it within a reasonable time frame. We must live within our means, and our standard of living may be at the level of our income, or below our level of our income as the Lord leads us, but must never exceed our level of income.
We looked at Luke 12 and noted that the rich man in the parable had achieved the Singapore dream of a financially secure retirement - how seductive and 'usual' the temptation is to lay up treasures on earth for ourselves, and yet not be rich towards God by laying up treasures in heaven. Laying up treasures in heaven is then, to live lives that show that God is our ultimate treasure. Christian use of money must be characterized by giving, not by accumulation of wealth for ourselves.Jesus is clear that money can be used for eternal purposes to please God (Lk 16:9)
The Bible neither says that money is good or bad. Money can be a blessing from God, but it can also be a curse that draws us away from God. Money represents a system that is opposed to God (Mt 6:24). Money is dangerous. It takes a supernatural work of God to save us from our love of the world that money represents (Mk 10:23-25)
We talked about the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The theme of the parable is stewardship - the use of resources given to us that are not our own. We are to be responsible and accountable for what we have, since it all comes from God. The return expected of us must be in proportion to what we have been entrusted with. The servant who received the one talent was described as "wicked and lazy", because he had refused to allow his master to derive benefit from his dealings. This was because he had not understood that his master was not, in fact, a 'hard' man who profited from the work of others but one who was full of joy that he wanted to share. We must see God not as a taker, but as a giver.
1 Timothy 6 presents money as something that promises gain, and contrasts it against 'godliness with contentment', which is truly .great gain'. Money is deceitful (Mt 13:22), because it cannot provide real life ('truly life', v.19) We are taught not to love money and not to desire to be rich.This is because money has no eternal value (we can't take it with us, v.7), because the basics of life are what is important, not the wants (v. 8) and because the desire for riches is eternally destructive (v.9-10). I mentioned Phil 4:11-13 as Paul's perspective on contentment to help us to understand the concepts of contentment and covetousness. Paul says that he is content when he has plenty and when he has little, not merely when he has little. This tells us that the secret of his contentment is that it is not found in what he owns, but is fully in God. Godliness is a god-centered perspective on life that enables us to be satisfied in every situation. So if we desire for more, it must not be because we are dissatisfied with our present situation.
Shaun and Wen Ai then contributed a beautiful sharing about how this was true in their own lives.
We then spent some time talking about loans and debt. We concluded that there is a 'good' kind of debt and a 'bad' kind of debt. In essence, 'good' debt requires good motivations and should not exceed our ability to repay it within a reasonable time frame. We must live within our means, and our standard of living may be at the level of our income, or below our level of our income as the Lord leads us, but must never exceed our level of income.
We looked at Luke 12 and noted that the rich man in the parable had achieved the Singapore dream of a financially secure retirement - how seductive and 'usual' the temptation is to lay up treasures on earth for ourselves, and yet not be rich towards God by laying up treasures in heaven. Laying up treasures in heaven is then, to live lives that show that God is our ultimate treasure. Christian use of money must be characterized by giving, not by accumulation of wealth for ourselves.Jesus is clear that money can be used for eternal purposes to please God (Lk 16:9)
When Jesus is Master, money is used to give. When 'Mammon' is master, money is used to gain.
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