session one Unwavering Hope SCRIPTURE MEMORY Choose the ONE verse that BEST RELATES to you and commit it to memory. But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God. (Psalm 146:5, NLT) Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:24-25, ESV) Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 23:17-18, ESV) He who has God and everything has no more than he who has God alone. C.S. LEWIS
PRACTICAL APPLICATION Complete prior to your weekly group meeting. 1 Complete the MoneyLife Indicator (crown.org/planner and click "Take the MoneyLife Indicator ) and review your results. DONE! 2 Start working on your MoneyLife Budget, which is part of the MoneyLife Planner online tool. Go to crown.org/planner to begin. Complete the sections on income and giving first. You should complete the entire MoneyLife Budget by the end of Session #2 of the study. DONE! We strongly encourage married couples to do the Practical Application exercises together, especially those related to building a budget.
session one VIDEO NOTES Our, especially with financial problems, is tested. There is no financial mistake, no debt, no challenge you face that s too large. Fix your hope on. Your biggest today holds the promise of becoming your most memorable in the future.
A WORD OF INTRODUCTION B efore we dive into our study, it s important that we set the stage for what you ll experience over the next several sessions. This MoneyLife Personal Finance Study is a course about money, designed to help you overcome real-world financial struggles with practical hands-on tools and guidance. But this is also a Bible study. The Word of God makes this incredible claim: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Did you catch that? Every good work. This means that the Bible is not only to be our authority when dealing with spiritual matters, but it s to be our guide for every area of life including practical matters related to our finances. There are literally thousands of verses in the Bible about handling money. The most practical thing we could ever learn is to apply spiritual truth to our every decision. There are literally thousands of verses in the Bible about handling money and possessions, and it was a subject of particular focus for Jesus Himself. The financial principles contained in God s Word have stood the test of time. They are tested, reliable, trustworthy and given for our benefit. There is no higher standard for financial principles than those given by God. While we know that many of you will want to jump right into debt-elimination techniques or investment strategies, there may be others who are under tremendous financial stress right now. That s why this first chapter is about setting our hope on God alone. Remember, He is not a financial principle. He is God Almighty, thus an unswerving dependence on Him is the starting point for your journey.
session one HOMEWORK questions 1) Share with the group why you decided to participate in this study and what you re hoping to gain from the experience.
session one unwavering hope homework 2) Share with the group your MoneyLife Indicator results to the extent you feel comfortable doing so. What areas will you focus on throughout the study? Record the top three key areas of focus in the space below. 3) We encourage you to read Joseph s story, which is found in Genesis 37-50. What did you learn about the importance of persevering in hope from the life of Joseph? How important is having hope as you address your financial issues?
session one unwavering hope homework 4) Discuss the importance of relying on the Bible as the supreme source of trusted financial counsel and wisdom.
ADDITIONAL NOTES