Our Attitude Toward Money

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1. How does this verse define the love of money? What happens when people are too eager for money?

This verse does not say that money is evil, nor does it say that money is the root of all evil. It says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The warning is clear in this verse -- those who are too eager for money will have problems in their lives. They may become so obsessed with their finances that they wander from the faith -- their job or their investments become their commitment instead of their faith. Some will pierce themselves with grief -- when we are seeking material possessions, we will never be satisfied. We will always want more things that are bigger and better. Nowhere does the Bible tell us we need to abandon possessions or not earn money, but it does warn us against the danger of being obsessed with money.

Proverbs 17:16

Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?

2. What do we need to do to properly handle our finances? How do we get this wisdom?

They say that most lottery winners that choose a lump sum payment go through all their money in a few short years. What good is it to have money if we don’t know how to handle it? God wants us to be wise with the resources he gives us. In order to properly handle our finances we may have to retrain ourselves. We may need for God to teach us discipline and self-control. God does not want us to be foolish with our finances. He does offer us wisdom, but notice we have to desire it. We have to want to exhibit sound planning with our finances. Otherwise, we will continue to be foolish and probably poor because God asks us, “Of what use is money in the hand of a fool?”

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

3. Instead of searching for riches and wealth, what should we be seeking? What does this verse teach you about your own priorities?

This verse tells us we must be seeking God’s kingdom first. Too many Christians have adopted the values of our greedy, selfish society. Our priorities are on the things of this world instead of on God’s kingdom. When we put heavenly things first, God has promised to take care of us. Our priorities need to be on God and on righteousness. Only then will we find true contentment and happiness. Pursuing worldly riches and pleasure will bring us a life of frustration and confusion.

MacDonald comments, “The Lord, therefore, makes a covenant with His followers. He says, in effect, ‘If you will put God’s interests first in your life, I will guarantee your future needs. If you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then I will see that you never lack the necessities of life’.”

Mark 12:41-44

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.

42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.

44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."

4. (verse 41) Why do you think the rich people gave so much? What was their motivation? Have you ever had wrong motivations when it comes to giving to God?

It is easy to condemn the rich as having wrong motives. And probably there were many who gave large amounts in Jesus’ day who had wrong intentions. But I am sure that there were some who also gave out of a real desire to serve God. Christ’s purpose of this teaching was to emphasize the one who gave little, but I think we can also learn what Jesus was teaching about our motive in giving. As someone once said, “There is no piety in poverty.” Being poor doesn’t automatically cause us to have better Christian motives than those who are rich. God looks at our heart. So no matter how much we have, we need to be careful that we don’t have the wrong motivation for giving. Perhaps some gave to receive acclaim from the people. We can be poor and do the same thing. The important thing is not how much we give, but our heart toward God. God has used many wealthy believers to be a blessing to his kingdom. Whether you are rich or poor, Christ wants you to give with the right heart.

5. (verse 42) Why do you think Jesus mentions the small value of the widow’s coins? Have you ever felt like your offerings to God are insignificant like the widow’s?

The widow’s offering did not seem very important. Perhaps you feel that what you have to give to God is not that important. But notice that Christ uses this smallest of offerings to teach us the proper way to give to God. This widow has been remembered for her offering for almost 2000 years. If every Christian would regularly give to support the ministry of the church, no congregation would ever have any financial problems. But too often we are slack in our giving. It is traditional that offerings decline certain times of the year when people are spending their money on other things. God wants us to make his kingdom a priority, whether we can give a large gift or a small gift.

The Believer’s Bible Commentary speaks of the widow’s offering, “As regards monetary value, she gave very little. But the Lord estimates giving by our motive, our means.... This is a great encouragement to those who have few material possessions, but a great desire to give to Him.”

6. (verses 43-44) What do you think Jesus was trying to teach his disciples in these verses? What does this teach you about your own giving?

Jesus is pointing out that the widow gave her all even though she was living in poverty. I have noticed that sometimes the most generous people are the ones who are not rich, but are willing to give their all to God. I believe God wants us to be willing to give our all and have the proper motives when it comes to our finances. This idea is not very popular in our culture today. But God wants us to make him a priority in all areas of our life -- our time, our abilities, and even our finances.

Luke 16:13-15

13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

15 He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.

7. (verse 13) How would you re-phrase what Jesus is trying to teach in verse 13? How important is money to you?

In this verse Jesus is showing us that we cannot adopt the modern emphasis on material possessions and still serve God. Christ tells us we have to make a choice -- which one is more important to us? We really don’t enjoy making this kind of choice. We like material possessions. But Jesus said we must choose between God and money. When our master is God, we may still have material possessions, but whatever we do will be aimed at God’s kingdom. When we have money as our master, whatever we do will be aimed at our self-gratification.

McGee asks, “What are you doing with your money? Are you making money? If you are, what are you doing with it? This is a pertinent question. Are you using it for the things of the world? If you are, you are serving mammon; that is your master. Are you serving God or mammon? You cannot serve them both?”

8. (verse 14) Why were the Pharisees sneering at Jesus? How does our society sneer at this teaching of Jesus today?

The Pharisees sneered at this teaching because they loved money. Our society also sneers at this teaching today. We want to have both -- God and money. The problem is we wind up trying to serve both -- God and money. Jesus shows us why we cannot do that. Notice he says that we are in danger of hating God or despising God. Perhaps we will be upset about feeling obligated to give an offering at church when we really want to spend our money on other things. It may be that we don’t think it’s fair that God would ask us to sacrifice pay, or overtime, or even our dreams for the work of his kingdom. If money is our master, we will soon find that God is our enemy. But if God is our master, we will see our finances in an entirely different light.

9. (verse 15) What values does God use to evaluate people? Why is it so difficult for us to embrace God’s viewpoint in some of these financial areas?

We Americans are the same as the Pharisees -- we try to justify ourselves in the eyes of men. It is amazing how many people judge their worth and the worth of others by how much money they earn or what car they drive or what home they live in. But these are not God’s values. God’s priorities are entirely different from ours. Jesus said, “What is highly valued in men is detestable in God’s sight.” This is a strong statement and it may be difficult for some Christians to accept. We need to realize that our financial priorities must reflect God’s priorities, not those of the world which God finds detestable. When we make God’s priorities our priorities, it is amazing how simpler our life becomes.

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