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It’s All About Money
“The heart of man may be the abode of the Holy Spirit. The peace of Christ that passeth understanding may rest in your soul, and the transforming power of his grace may work in your life, and fit you for the courts of glory. But if brain and nerve and muscle are all employed in the service of self, you are not making God and heaven the first consideration of your life. It is impossible to be weaving the graces of Christ into your character while you are putting all your energies on the side of the world. You may be successful in heaping up treasure on the earth, for the glory of self; but ‘where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ Eternal considerations will be made of secondary importance. You may take part in the outward forms of worship; but your service will be an abomination to the God of heaven. You cannot serve God and mammon. You will either yield your heart and put your will on the side of God, or you will give your energies to the service of the world. God will accept no half-hearted service” (The Review and Herald, Jan. 24, 1888).
Matthew 6:19-24 (Contemporary English Version):
“Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will always be where your treasure is. Your eyes are like a window for your body. When they are good, you have all the light you need. But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. If the light inside you is dark, you surely are in the dark. You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
It’s All About Money
Tim Forneris. To anyone who recognizes the name, he’s the lucky guy who many think turned out to be pretty stupid. Lucky because he caught Mark McGwire’s sixty-second home-run, record-breaking baseball worth an estimated $1 million dollars. (McGwire’s seventieth home-run ball later sold for $3 million.) Stupid because, instead of keeping it for himself, he gave it back to McGwire.
While acknowledging this as “an honorable gesture,” Time magazine used Forneris as an example of poor money-management skills (“Personal Time: Your Money,” Time, February 8, 1999). By the world’s standard’s he was impulsive and stupid. After all, he had the right to keep the ball for himself. And who couldn’t use a million dollars?
Forneris’s response to the article included this statement: “Life is about more than just money. . . . Some possessions are priceless” “Letter” Time, March 22, 1999).
Money is a unit of self-measurement in our world—how much we have determines who we are. It’s all about money! Or is it?
- What do you think made Forneris give the ball back?
- By giving the ball back did Forneris show where he is putting his treasure?
- Have you ever had a similar experience?
- How can we store up our treasure in heaven?
See Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing pp. 88, 89.
- Highlight the paragraph that says, “It is for your own interest to secure heavenly riches.”
- Underline the sentence that starts, “The disciples of Christ are called His jewels . . .”
Here’s What I Think
Have you heard people say, “Money isn’t everything”? And your natural reaction is probably the same as anyone else’s (who’ll admit it): “Duh. Of course it is.” Think of the many times you’ve asked your parents for something and they said, “We can’t afford it.” Ever wish you could have enough money to get what you need, what you want, what would make life really fun?
Money is not evil. The love of money is evil. What’s the difference? At what point do you think money crosses the line from being a blessing to being a curse? What do you think is the connection between money and happiness? Can you have both? Is one a threat to the other?
Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and honest. Say what you think.
The lines below are provided as an alternative to posting. You may also want to record your thoughts to share with your class later.
What can we call our treasure?
- Which words in the puzzle show treasure as something beautiful and good?
- Which words are sometimes a sign of treasure that has been stolen or is a treasure that is selfish?
“Satan has nets and snares, like the snares of the fowler, all prepared to entrap souls. It is his studied purpose that men shall employ their God-given powers for selfish ends rather than yield them to glorify God. God would have men engage in a work that will bring them peace and joy, and will render them eternal profits; but Satan wants us to concentrate our efforts for that which profiteth not, for things that perish with the using. The service of Satan is one of care, perplexity, anxiety, and wearing labor, and the treasure men toil to accumulate on earth is only for a season. The greatest caution is exercised in the worldly investment of means, that the expenditure may yield a good profit; but in things of eternal concern the utmost indifference is displayed. On that the great interests of the world to come were appreciated! Why is it that men are so unconcerned about the salvation of the soul when it was purchased at such cost by the Son of God?
“The heart of man may be the abode of the Holy Spirit. The peace of Christ that passeth understanding may rest in your soul, and the transforming power of his grace may work in your life, and fit you for the courts of glory. But if brain and nerve and muscle are all employed in the service of self, you are not making God and heaven the first consideration of your life. It is impossible to be weaving the graces of Christ into your character while you are putting all your energies on the side of the world. You may be successful in heaping up treasure on the earth, for the glory of self; but ‘where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ Eternal considerations will be made of secondary importance. You may take part in the outward forms of worship; but your service will be an abomination to the God of heaven. You cannot serve God and mammon. You will either yield your heart and put your will on the side of God, or you will give your energies to the service of the world. God will accept no half-hearted service” (The Review and Herald, Jan. 24, 1888).
How you mange money is a reflection of your relationship with God. It probably doesn’t seem like a big deal right now since you probably don’t have much money or anything else that’s really your own. And it’s not like you have a job or bills to pay, right? So why learn about money? Well, the reason is really very simple: starting early gives you a head start at tackling a problem that many adults have—a struggle with money management that affects their relationship with Jesus.
So just give this lesson a chance. If nothing else, at least go through it with an open mind and try out Friday’s exercise for six months before you think this is totally irrelevant. OK?
- How can we put our trust in God for the things we need even when there’s not enough money for them?
- When has God provided something for you that you needed but wouldn’t have had without His help?
- How did you feel when you realized that God provided for you?
- When we don’t have everything that we need or want do you think God allows us to “need” for a reason? Explain
Fill in the blanks.
- “Everything in heaven and earth is ________ . . . . O Lord.” 1 Chronicles 29:11(NIV)
- “To the Lord your God ________the ______ . . . and ____________ in it. ” Deuteronomy 10:14 (NIV)
- “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what _________ ______, not _______ to ________ he does _________ _____ .” 2 Corinthians 8:12 (NIV)
- “He who ________ to the poor will lack nothing, but he who ________ his eyes to them _______ many _________.” Proverbs 28:27 (NIV)
- “We have ________ __________, according to the grace given us . . . if it is _________ to the ________ of others, let him ________ generously . . . . let him do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6, 8 (NIV)
- “When God _______ any man wealth and possessions, and ______ him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be ________ in his work—this is a ________ of _________.” Ecclesiastes 5:19 (NIV)
- “Wealth and honor come from you; you are the _______ of all ______. In your _________ are strength and power to exalt and ______ _________ to all.” 1 Chronicles 29:12 (NIV)
- “My God will _________ all your ________ ________ to his __________ ________ in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
- “So if you have not been ______________ in handling _________ _________, who will ________ you with true _________?” Luke 16:11 (NIV)
See Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 90.
- Underline the sentence that tells us what the greatest harvest of life is.
- Highlight the paragraph that begins, “And at the final day . . .”
What Does This Have to Do With Me?
Living in God’s kingdom is living in His presence (see Hebrews 4:13). Does this motivate you to want to change any of the ways you act and spend money? When you realize that God owns everything, every spending decision becomes a spiritual decision. Your attitude will not be about the value of money in terms of what it can do for you; instead, you will look at money as a blessing to return—to others, to God’s church, and to yourself.
- Money helps us have a place to live, clothes to wear, food to eat. It also makes it so that we can have things we would like just for fun. Is there something more important than money? Explain.
- What is your attitude about money?
- Which one statement is correct: Money is the root of all evil or The love of money is the root of all evil? Where is this text found in the Bible?
“The instruction is to ‘lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.’ It is for our own interest that we secure heavenly riches. God is not benefited by our benevolence. The cattle upon a thousand hills are His. ‘The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.’ Psalm 24:1. But in using the gifts that He has entrusted to our care for the salvation of souls, we transfer our wealth to the treasury of heaven. When we are seeking the glory of God, and hasting unto the day of God, we are colaborers with Christ, and our joy is not a base and fleeting emotion; but it is the joy of our Lord. We are elevated above the corroding, perplexing cares of this frail, fickle world.
“While we are in this world, we are subject to losses and disappointments. Thieves break through and steal; moth and rust corrupt; fire and storm sweep away our possessions. . . . How many have devoted life and soul to acquiring wealth, but were not rich toward God; and when adversity came upon them, and their possessions were swept away, they had nothing laid up in heaven. They had lost all--both temporal and eternal riches. . . .
“Everything that is laid up upon earth may be swept away in a moment; but nothing can disturb the treasure that is laid up in heaven” (Our High Calling, p. 105).
How Does It Work?
OK, so you’ve learned a lot about money this week. And you probably think it’ll be a good idea to put all this into practice. But you’re just a kid and most likely you don’t have a job or anything. So the best place to start is your money source—and that’s probably your parents, grandparents, uncle, aunt, etc. Now sit down with your money source and figure out a game plan—a way you can learn to be responsible with money starting right now so you won’t be all messed up with credit cards other financial pitfalls when you’re grown up.
The following sample plan you can share with your money source. Use Sarah’s plan the way it is, or change it and find one that works for you. Whatever you do, make a promise to yourself that you are going to stick to it.
Sarah’s Financial Plan
Sarah is 12 years old, and her money source gives her a weekly allowance equivalent to her age. So, since she’s 12, she gets $12 a week which is $48 a month. Sarah and her money source have predetermined the money source will be responsible for her clothes, education, and food, and have set limits on how much they will spend on each.
With her allowance, they have decided that she will use it in the following way and divide the money into specific envelopes each month. Keeping the money separate keeps Sarah from “borrowing” from one envelope to fill another. Every few months, her money source deposits her SAVINGS into a bank account. When her FAMILY envelope adds up to a substantial amount, she treats her family to ice cream or pizza! Sarah saved the contents of her MISSION envelope for two years and was able to send a girl in Bosnia to school for a year through ADRA!
Tithe 10%
Missions 5%
Offering 5%
Savings 10%
Family 20%
Gifts for others 10%
Personal Expense 40%
When you and your Money Source have made up a similar plan that you are happy with, try it out for six months. You’re sure to have a good feeling about being in partnership with the God who gives you all you have and more.