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Week 6 - FINANCIAL DISCIPLESHIP |
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"Heaven, not earth, is my home"
Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle
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This 40-day journey explored an area of our Christian life that we rarely discuss - how we view, manage, and relate to finances. Approaching this topic with
"Financial Faith" transforms our lives by saturating our convictions, our habits, and our attitude with God's power, grace, and principles.
God never intended faith to be an intellectual exercise but rather an adventure that brings us closer to him and helps us to live like Jesus.
Discipleship is always counter-cultural and often counter-intuitive. This material world targets us with a message that markets self-indulgence, discontentment, and consumerism - all aimed at "conforming us to the pattern of this world." Yet, these worldly principles promote ineffective and unhealthy financial habits that include poor (or no) financial planning, living beyond our means, accumulating debt, and underestimating the power of both saving and giving.
In the Bible, God conveys effective, time-tested, universal, and practical financial principles. This Kingdom Training class challenged us as disciples to reexamine our preconceptions and practices by applying
God's biblical principles in a way that invites God into every area of our life.
Week 1: The earth is the Lord's and everything in it
Week 2: The faithful servant of God is a prudent and diligent manager
Week 3: The borrower is slave to the lender (so get out of debt!)
Week 4: We have been made rich so that we can be generous - like God himself!
Week 5: God expects us to have a financial plan that is God's plan, not ours
Week 6: Financial Discipleship applies these principles to our lives
In this final week of Financial Faith Bible studies, we apply these biblical principles to our personal discipleship, our family, our career, our dreams, and our decisions.
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Day 36 : My Financial Discipleship |
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Memory Verse: Luke 9:24
Luke 9:24
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
Save or Lose? We're tempted to save our "way of life" but Jesus calls us to give it all to God.
In the Light. Satan loves darkness; God is Light! Decide to shine God's light on your finances.
Advice. Discipleship is caught from another disciple. Decide to grow by seeking advice.
Spiritual Thinking. The world has programmed our thinking. Pray to be open to change.
Practical Application
1. Self-Control.
Proverbs 25:28
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
What is one area that I can grow in my self-control in the area of financial discipleship?
2. Contentment.
Proverbs 30:7-9
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
The world markets the message of discontentment: you can't be happy until
How can financial discipleship bring you contentment?
3. Example.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,
12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Describe how your example of financial responsibility will win respect.
4. Integrity.
Romans 13:1-8
1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
4 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.
7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Our integrity is our discipleship. Remember this whenever Satan tempts us to compromise. God's ways: v7 Pay what is right to pay, not what you can get away with. v8 Get out of debt!
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