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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 37 : My Family (for singles, consider your spiritual and physical family) |
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1. Provide for Your Family.
1 Timothy 5:4-8
4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.
6 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.
7 Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame.
8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Take care of immediate family: parents, grandparents, spouse, children, brothers, and sisters.
Is there any pressure you are feeling in this area that you need to pray about or seek advice?
2. The Proverbs 31 Woman.
Proverbs 31:15-27
15 She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
How can you imitate her example?
[15] She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
[16] She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
[20] She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
[25] She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
[27] She watches over the affairs of her ousehold and does not eat the bread of idleness.
For me this means
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3. Financial Legacy.
Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.
Dream a little: What legacy would you like to pass down to the next generation?
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