What the Bible Says About Relationships and Money
Week of October 30, 2005
This Week’s Scripture Reading
Proverbs 21:20
20The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.
Luke 12:16-21
16And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Prayers for the Week:
Sunday |
Heavenly Father, thank You for a new Lord’s Day when I have the opportunity to gather with brothers and sisters through Jesus to worship and praise You, and to be nourished in my Spirit for the coming week! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. |
Monday |
Heavenly Father, I pray that as I continue to learn about your plans for the wealth you have entrusted to my management, that Your Holy Spirit will be the true guide in this process. Fill me with the Spirit now, that I may live faithfully! Amen. |
Tuesday |
Heavenly Father, teach me to save in a way that brings You honor. Let me not spend the future on the present, but don’t let me trust in savings as a means of replacing my security in You. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Wednesday |
Heavenly Father, fill me afresh with the Holy Spirit, that my thoughts, words and actions may be consistent with Your will. Show me how I may be a witness to You in every experience of my life today. This I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Thursday |
Heavenly Father, let me be wise with wealth. Let me be a faithful manager of all You have entrusted to me—not only money, Lord, but every material resource. Empower me to make wise decisions today and always. In Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Friday |
Heavenly Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit right now that I may live in the assurance of Your power. Let me use that power to bring You glory and honor. May the words I speak today, bring Your comfort and challenge to those I meet. Amen. |
Saturday |
Heavenly Father, as I come to the close of another week, I thank You for all Your blessings! Thank You for providing all I need and more. Let me always remember Your blessings, and share them that I may be a blessing to others. Amen. |
Background on the Text
This week’s Scriptures point out that saving is a biblical value when it comes to our management of the financial reasons God has entrusted to us, but saving can cross the boundaries of faithful stewardship when it becomes hoarding. In the first Scripture, King Solomon reminds us that those who are wise save so that they have “wealth and luxury” as opposed to the foolish who spend everything they get. Saving for anticipated future needs is wise, when it doesn’t go to the extreme demonstrated in our second Scripture. Jesus makes it clear that the rich man in the parable was a fool—not because he spent everything he had, but because he thought that saving everything he had would give him the security that only God can give us in life. Saving for anticipated future needs is a wise, biblical use of money. Only when we put our trust in money to give us security and absolute leisure does it cross the border into hoarding. As followers of Jesus we want to be faithful in our saving as well as our giving!
Monday
Observation: What does the text say?
Tuesday
Interpretation: What do these verses mean?
Wednesday
Application: How can I respond to the text’s insights and teachings?
Thursday
After reading and studying this text, reflect on the following discipleship growth points:
Encouraged and strengthened me by:
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Fallen short areas
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What will I do with these insights?
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Friday
After reading and studying this text, reflect on the following discipleship growth points:
What did God say to me this week?
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Share insights and growth points
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Changed/transformed how?
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Saturday
Reflective Thoughts