Ricky had always wanted a shiny gold watch, and there, sitting on his classmate s desk, was a brand new one. Ricky

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2 apostle eter said: s each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of od (1 eter 4:10-11). o you want to be rich? Would you like to be a billionaire one day? lmost everybody wants to be rich. od asked olomon in a dream, What shall give you? (1 ings 3:5). lthough olomon could have asked to be rich, he did not. e asked for wisdom instead of riches. his pleased the ord, and e gave olomon both wisdom and riches. s long as we have wisdom, we will always be rich. s you grow older, you will learn to use your money wisely. ou will learn that the things that seem important now really are not all that important. ou will learn that the most important use you will find for money is to give it to others who need it. on t be like the man in atthew 25 who was afraid and hid his money in the ground. e bold, and do the work of the church that od put us here to do. verything that we have was given to us by od. herefore we ought to use everything we have for od s glory. he money we have is a result of od s physical blessings. o do all faithful Christians have a lot of money? o. ut is every Christian rich? es! esus taught more about the proper use of money than e taught about the subjects of lying, cheating, stealing, and murder combined. esus taught that money is not the most important thing, because eventually it will be destroyed. nstead, esus said: o not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (atthew 6:19-20). When we give our money to the work of the church, we are laying up treasures in heaven. When we sacrifice some of our wants, in order to give to other people s needs, we are laying up treasures in heaven. We must use our money in od s best interest, because it really is is anyway. verything on this arth is od s, and we are just taking care of these physical blessings for a short while. he 58 iscovery ugust 2008 CR, C R, C., 2010, R RRV Ricky had always wanted a shiny gold watch, and there, sitting on his classmate s desk, was a brand new one. Ricky was supposed to be outside with the rest of his class, but he was leaving early today with his mom, so he was left alone for a few minutes. o one would ever know if he took the watch. e looked out into the hall, and then he looked at the pocket on the outside of his backpack. he watch would easily fit inside the pocket without anyone noticing it. What should he do? e knew that he might never get a watch like this one, and he probably would never have a better chance to take it. s Ricky walked over to look more closely at the watch he recalled a lesson his unday morning ible class had recently discussed. hey were talking about udas scariot, the apostle who betrayed esus. Ricky remembered how he had learned that udas was also a thief. is job was to hold the money box for all of the disciples, and yet without their knowledge he had been taking money from it. n one occasion, when ary, the sister of artha and azarus, poured expensive oil on esus feet, udas asked: Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii [about a year s salary] and given to the poor? (ohn 12:6). he ible explains that udas made this statement, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it (ohn 12:5-6). udas did not care about the poor, or about what ary was doing; instead, he was jealous, greedy, and wanted the money. udas was a thief who eventually sold out the on of od for money! nce Ricky thought about how stealing would liken him to udas, rather than to Christ, he decided to leave the watch where it was. he ible teaches that stealing is wrong. t was wrong under the old aw of oses, and it is wrong under the new aw of Christ. he eighth commandment given to oses and the sraelites was simply, ou shall not steal (xodus 20:15). When esus was on arth, e put thievery in the same category as other wicked things like murder, adultery, and blasphemy (atthew 15:19). he apostle aul talked about thievery when he wrote to the church at phesus, et him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need (4:28). nstead of stealing what others have, od wants us to work hard, earn money honestly, and then give to those who are in need. ugust 2008 iscovery CR, C R, C., 2010, R RRV 59

3 ambling What is gambling? ictionaries define gamble as to play games of chance for money, to risk money on uncertain gain, to stake or risk money, etc. in the hope of great gain. ut gambling is not just taking a risk. ambling takes place when risk is artificially created in order possibly to lose one s own possession. t is an attempt, through chance, to gain the possession of another. oth cannot win someone must lose. Forms of gambling in our society include card games, throwing dice for money, slot machines, betting on horse or dog races, betting on sporting events, buying lottery tickets, and playing bingo for money or prizes. We must take the time to study od s Word and then think through these activities. therwise, we may well consider them to be harmless forms of entertainment. ut we simply must think and meditate upon what od tells us in is Word. ne principle that runs throughout the ible is that of stewardship. he ible repeatedly and consistently paints the picture that od is the ultimate owner of all earthly possessions. he psalmist observed that the ord owns the cattle on a thousand hills (salm 50:10). ames wrote that every good and perfect gift comes from od (ames 1:17). esus referred to humans as stewards those who are entrusted to take care of another s property (uke 12:42). nd e declared that every person has the moral responsibility to be a faithful steward of the money that has been entrusted to him (uke 16:1011). et, each year people shell out billions of dollars gambling away the money that has been entrusted to them by od. magine the good, wholesome projects that could be supported annually by such enormous stores of cash children could be fed, the ospel could be preached, houses could be built, and the list goes on. nstead of such worth- 60 iscovery ugust 2008 CR, C R, C., 2010, R RRV while projects, however, these billions of dollars are pumped into a system that leads to addiction and abuse. t would be difficult, indeed, to conclude that gambling is good stewardship of the money with which od has entrusted a person. n reality, to pour one s money into a system that mathematically and statistically has been proven, time and again, to benefit the house, and take from the gambler, certainly would fall into the category of unfaithful stewardship. Concerning unfaithful stewardship, Christ said: herefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon [money or riches], who will commit to your trust the true riches? (uke 16:11). o stand before the throne of Christ, having squandered the money od entrusted to you on an idle and degenerative activity like gambling, would be a frightening thought indeed. ambling also does not fit with the work ethic that is so clearly taught in od s Word. od wants people to labor, to work with their hands, to toil with the sweat of their brow. aul said: have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. nd remember the words of the ord esus, that e said, t is more blessed to give than to receive (cts 20:35). e also wrote: et him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need (phesians 4:28). n order to have food to eat in hessalonica, he worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you (2 hessalonians 3:8). e also wrote: f anyone will not work, neither shall he eat, and those who were not working were to work in quietness and eat their own bread (vss. 10,12). od wants people to work, toil, and labor not gamble! needy (1 imothy 5:8; alatians 6:10). ut making money to live is very different from living to make money. od has always warned people not to lust after this world s riches (Colossians 3:5; 1 ohn 2:1517). aul spoke of those who are minded to be rich, who have the love of money and who trust in uncertain riches (1 imothy 6:9,10,17). ambling is extremely addictive and promotes the love-of-money attitude that od s Word so clearly condemns. he fact is, Christians can have good clean fun and enjoy themselves, without gambling! he ible also teaches that we should not be covetous or greedy. od wants people to work to have money for daily living for self, family, and the ugust 2008 iscovery CR, C R, C., 2010, R RRV 61

4 ty t v c e ag R W W V R C V R C F F W R R C R F C C V R R R C ambling onest tealing Contribute F t 1. We should lay up in heaven. 2. esus was when e lived on the arth. 3. s you grow older, you should learn to use more wisely. 4. olomon wished for. 5. verything we own is actually. 6. udas not only betrayed esus, but was a. 7. nother word for covetousness is. 8. is a waste of money, and a sign of bad stewardship. ying il Cheating ary Work hief Was esus rich or poor when e lived on arth? tealing was not wrong in the ld estament. 2. ary poured expensive oil on the feet of esus. 3. ur treasures should be here on arth. 4. olomon asked for riches. 5. very Christian is rich spiritually. 6. Christians are supposed to give cheerfully to the ord. 7. tealing is okay when you really want something. 8. od wants us to work hard and earn money honestly. 1. reed is llustration by mma elma, C igger oug 230 andmark rive ontgomery, iscovery ugust ear igger oug, ultple Choce ey kids, send your questions about the ible and/or science to igger oug! lso, igger oug loves to receive your poems and artwork (lots of your work is featured in iscovery). igger oug can t return everything he receives, so keep a copy for yourself. 62 rue or False word earch W V F V W CR, C R, C., 2010, R RRV. wealth. covetousness C. contentment 2. We should lay up treasures in. our rooms. the ank C. heaven 3. tealing is. borrowing. taking what is right fully yours C. sinful ear reader: he apostle aul wrote: For you know the grace of our ord esus Christ, that though e was rich, yet for your sakes e became poor, that you through is poverty might become rich (1 Corinthians 8:9). Christ left is throne of glory so that through is life on arth, the world might be saved. othing on this arth compares to the glory of heaven. esus came to arth, where e was born to a poor family. ne hint that esus earthly parents were poor is that when oseph and ary took esus to the temple shortly after is birth, they offered a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons (uke 2:24). he offering of birds reveals that they must have been poor. ad oseph and ary been rich, they would have offered a lamb (read eviticus 12:8). uring is ministry, esus did not even have anywhere that e could call home. e once said: Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the on of an has nowhere to lay his head (atthew 8:20). esus came to arth for the purpose of seeking and saving the lost. e did not come to arth to fulfill any pleasures. arth has no pleasures comparable to those in heaven. n everything that is good, esus was rich. e was rich in knowledge, faith, and love, and it is that type of richness for which we ought to strive. 4. sign of bad stewardship. gambling. giving to charity C. giving to the ord on the first day ofthe week ugust 2008 iscovery CR, C R, C., 2010, R RRV 63

5 C R, C. 230 andmark rive ontgomery, (800) (rders) (334) onprofit rganization.. ostage ontgomery, ermit o pologetics ress, nc. ll Rights Reserved ditor: yle utt,.. ssociate ditor: ric yons,.in. ayout and esign: Rob aker,.d. R RVC R reed reedave you ever wondered why there are so many commercials during V shows? ust when something good is about to happen in the middle of your favorite show, boom! t happens. nother commercial runs for what seems like forever. Why all the commercials? dvertisers know you are watching, and they want you to become interested in what they are selling. Whether it s a toy, food, or entertainment, they en- courage you to want what they are selling. nd occasionally, it works. ometimes we see something that we want, and soon that want turns into ve got to have it! efore long, we feel like we would give anything to have what we saw on that commercial. ut wait a minute give anything? esus asked an important question that we all need to consider from time to time. he question was this: What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? (atthew 16:26). o, we usually do not want the entire world for ourselves, but oftentimes our entire world revolves around what we want. his is called greed or covetousness. ur uncontrolled desire for something that we do not need, cannot have, or should not have, always leads us into other sinful activities. fter all, the ible teaches us that greed (the love of money) is a root of all kinds of evil (1 imothy 6:10). Consider the biblical example of chan (oshua 7:10-26). fter conquering ericho, the sraelites were commanded not to take anything for themselves, but chan, motivated by covetousness, took several things for himself, and tried to hide them. When he was confronted about what he had done, he answered, When saw coveted them and took them. lso, notice that it started with a look. e saw, and then he coveted and took (read 1 ohn 2:15-17). We need to be careful about what we watch, and make sure we do not give covetousness or greed a way into our lives. nything in this world can lead us to greed and covetousness. herefore, let us remember esus warning given in uke 12:15: ake heed and beware of covetousness, for one s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses. R W V R C F V R F C W R R W V F V W Fill in the lanks: 1. treasures; 2. poor; 3. money; 4. wisdom; 5. od s; 6. thief; 7. greed; 8. gambling. rue or False: 1-F; 2-; 3-F; 4-F; 5-; 6-; 7-F; 8-. CC: 1. (covetousness); 2. C (heaven); 3. C (sinful); 4. (gambling). CR, C R, C., 2010, R RRV iscovery ugust 2008 C R F C C V R R R C 64 early ubscription Fees in.. Funds nly nited tates of merica: ndividual rate: $12 each ulk rate (at least 5 to same address): $8.50 each. Club rate (at least 10 to different address paid together): $10 omeschool discount 10% off above rates Canada: $16 each (bulk: $12) verseas irmail: $21 each (bulk: $14) W WR