#UNSTUCK #UNSTUCK IN YOUR FINANCES (PROVERBS 3:9-10) FEBRUARY 1, 2015 PREPARATION > Spend the week studying Proverbs 10:4-5; 3:9-10; 22:26-27; and 1 Timothy 6:6-8. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for our pastors and this week s message, the upcoming group time, your group members, and their receptivity to God s Word. > Focus on the Main Point. If we hope to get unstuck in our finances, then we must start honoring the Lord with them by being content and generous; by working hard and avoiding debt. INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. Think about the past week. What is one thing you saw and thought, I have got to have that? Why are we not content with just the basic necessities? How does our culture fuel discontentment? Our materialistic culture leads us to believe we need all the things we want. Advertisers push us to buy with the promise that an item will make us happy and bring satisfaction. We buy into this philosophy of greed and discontentment, always wanting more and never being satisfied. This lack of contentment has landed many Americans in debt and troubled countless marriages. A lack of contentment produces selfishness that keeps us from honoring God with our money. If we hope to get unstuck in our finances, we must first learn be content with what the Lord has given us, then we will see the value of hard work and generosity. LEARN Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. > HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ 1 TIMOTHY 6:6-8. How does godliness relate to contentment? What are some ways we can strive for godliness? How would you describe someone who has a Christlike attitude with regard to their finances? What distinguishes that person from other people? 1 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH
The word godliness suggests an attitude focused on God and doing what pleases Him. It depicts a reverence that recognizes that we live each moment before God. In other words, our attitude toward God results in actions that please Him. We could say that godliness is God-likeness. The more we are like God in our attitudes, actions, and ambitions, the more godly we become. And the more godly we become, the more content we will be. Contentment isn t based on what we have, it s based on whose we are. Without a desire to be more and more like the One who created us, we won t experience contentment. > HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ PROVERBS 3:9-10. This proverb teaches that the only way to get unstuck in our finances is to honor the Lord with our possessions and wealth. God had instructed Moses to tell the Hebrew people to give the very best of the firstfruits from their land as an offering to the Lord (see Ex. 23:19; Deut. 26:2). Giving the firstfruits was a public acknowledgment that all things come from God and belong to Him. What would it mean for a believer to honor the Lord with the firstfruits of the harvest today? What s the difference between giving to the Lord from the first portion of your income rather than the last? The word firstfruits emphasizes that we are to first give our best to God from all we produce. This is close to the subject of tithing. The only way to tithe is to set apart the tenth of our income first. Many people consider tithing often only after the other needs are met. Giving the tithe requires that this amount be set apart at the first. Too many would-be worshipers give God the leftovers, not the best. Besides giving money to the church, what are some ways we can honor the Lord with our wealth? What is the cause and effect relationship in the promise in verse 10? What does the promise mean? What doesn t it mean? How could these verses be misused and misinterpreted? Proverbs 3:9-10 presents an if-then relationship; not a magical formula. Certainly those who honor God in the way they use their possessions and money will discover how to meet their needs. However, even people of great integrity (see Job 1:12-22) may experience personal or financial loss. > HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ PROVERBS 10:4-5, 22:7, AND 22:26-27. We live in a culture that delights in being lazy. The Proverbs, however, show us that God values hard work. He wants us to work hard not so that we can amass lots of wealth for ourselves but so we can save our money to bless others in the future. What does verse 4 tell us about what makes one poor? How does that contradict the way our culture thinks of poverty? 2 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH
We need to remember that proverbs are general truths and don t necessarily apply to all circumstances. Sometimes people are poor because of circumstances outside their control. For instance many children live in poverty because of the idleness of the parents. We know that God cares for the poor (see Matt. 5:3), but in general, when we find ourselves in poverty, it is because we have not been diligent with our time and resources. Why is it disgraceful to sleep during harvest (v. 5)? Why is it important, in terms of our Christian witness, that we work hard at our jobs? In what ways might you be able to serve the Lord in the future if you start saving now? Is debt avoidable? Should a Christian never be in debt? Why or why not? God s Word doesn t say we cannot borrow, but it does warn us against excessive debt. Some estimates suggest that the average American household with at least one credit card has more than $9,000 in credit card debt. What does Proverbs 22:27 suggest will happen to the person who takes on more and more debt? In what ways is the borrower slave to the lender (see Proverbs 22:7)? Most people are oblivious to the cost of excessive debt. For example, if you wanted to stop using your credit card and pay off a $1,000 credit card debt making only the minimum monthly payment, it could take seven to eight years. The more debt we rack up, the more we enslave ourselves to others and the less we can use our money to honor the Lord and bless our neighbor. LIVE Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. Create some talking points for the group by looking at the practical implications of the study. Get group members to talk about the real-life implications of the passage. Look at what can be applied specifically to Pinelake. What are the greatest barriers to contentment in your finances right now? What is one step you could take this week toward being content with what God has given you? What plans do you need to make today to start tackling your debt? What are some ways tackling your debt might free you to invest in Christ s kingdom? 3 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH
LEAD Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage should impact the way we lead at Pinelake and the way we interact with people outside of it. In order to trust God to meet our needs, what do we have to give up? What choices do we have to make? Why is this so difficult? How might we help one another make better financial decisions? What might it look like for our group to encourage one another to honor the Lord with our finances? PRAYER Close with a time of prayer. Thank God for blessing us financially and ask His forgiveness for our greed. Pray that we would learn to live within our means and that we would prioritize making eternal investments in His kingdom. FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up email to your group with some or all of the following information: Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: How can you change the way you spend this week in order to start living debt-free? How content are you when it comes to your possessions? Which do you desire more often: upgrading or downgrading? Why? What spiritual disciplines do you regularly practice to foster contentment in the Christian life? What s a new discipline you could add to that list? The challenge to memorize Proverbs 3:9-10. 4 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH
COMMENTARY #UNSTUCK #UNSTUCK IN YOUR FINANCES FEBRUARY 1, 2015 1 TIMOTHY 6:6-8 6:6. Paul commended the benefits of godliness with contentment in v. 6 (see Ps 37:3-5). Paul used the word contentment to refer to an attitude of mind independent of externals and dependent only on God. He was not advocating godless self-sufficiency as a source of contentment. Paul believed that true sufficiency is Christsufficiency (Phil 4:13). Paul was affirming that those who felt that godliness leads to gain were indeed correct, for there is great profit (spiritual profit) in a brand of godliness that possesses a contentment in the realm of its material possessions. True godliness is a means of much gain, for it promises benefits for this life and the next (4:8). Adding contentment to this godliness would promote gratitude for God s gracious gifts in this life (see 1 Tim 4:4-5). 6:7-8. Why do godliness and contentment represent great gain? Paul s for clause introduced an eschatological reason for this contentment. Since after a brief stay we shall depart this life as we came in, it is sheer folly to concern ourselves with earthly matters. Material gain is irrelevant, and greed is irrational (see Job 1:21). The second reason (v. 8) is that we must be content when we possess life s necessities. The term clothing is general enough to include both clothing and shelter, but the immediate context favors limiting it to personal possessions such as dress. Paul s words reflect the teaching of Jesus (Matt 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-31). Paul referred to food and clothing as symbols of life s necessities. What is actually a necessity will vary somewhat in different societies. However, all of us face the temptation of greedily coveting more than we need. In these verses Paul warned that godliness is not a trait from which to make material profit (v. 5). True godliness has contentment for its companion (v. 6). Since we cannot take life s luxuries into God s presence, we should be content with life s necessities (vv. 7-8). Greed can find no place in an attitude like this. PROVERBS 3:9. The word honor means to make important. The verb thus emphasizes how we must make a conscious choice to show the importance of our relationship with God by investing our possessions in ways that honor Him. The word wealth can also be translated possessions or sufficiency, and describes the resources of those who have enough to live on. Indeed, with its subtle suggestion that we are wealthy when we have enough, the proverb challenges the world s thinking that we always need just a little bit more. The expression firstfruits of all your produce reminded farmers to recognize God s blessing for each harvest. According to the law of Moses, the first produce from the field were brought to the house of the Lord (see Ex. 23:19; 34:26). These offerings helped to support the priests (see Num. 18:12; Deut. 18:4) and insure that their place of worship was dedicated to the Lord. Though the expression focuses on the agricultural imagery, it is broad enough to denote any kind of revenue that comes from the work of our hands. Honoring the Lord with the first of our income is the best way we can show our gratitude for His gracious provision. 3:10. In a very real sense, the promise that your barns will be filled with plenty was something those who gave generously had to take on faith. The expression your vats will be bursting also emphasize the generous provision God would supply as people faithfully brought Him their offerings. Much of Israel s territory supports the growing of grapes, some of which the people made into new wine. Other summer crops such as olives, dates, figs, and pomegranates were also common. People were to dedicate a portion of each of these to God as He provided the harvest. He in turn promised to bless them for their faithfulness. We show our priority in honoring the Lord when we gratefully and regularly set aside a portion of our income to support His kingdom work. We do not give because the Lord needs the money; God is quite able to accomplish all He wishes without our help. Rather, He commands us to give so that we may have the privilege of participating 5 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH
COMMENTARY with Him in His work. Giving faithfully also helps us to assess if our priorities match God s priorities. 22:26-27. These verses remind us of the serious consequences of being entangled in debt. Going into debt is easy in our society. Almost every week someone in my family receives a credit card application. Not all debt is avoidable. A medical emergency, for instance, could force someone to take out a loan. Some people lose their jobs due to circumstances beyond their control. Major purchases, such as a house or a car, typically require indebtedness. Nevertheless, much debt could be avoided if people managed their money wisely. If we are unable to pay our debts, we may lose our beds! To use a figure of speech common to us, we may lose the shirts off our backs. 22:7. Debt is a form of slavery. Christians need to work to minimize their debts. If we follow the principles laid out in the Book of Proverbs, we will be less likely to incur unwise debts. We also need to recall James s advice to consider the transience of life when we make financial decisions (see Jas. 4:13-14). Spending all one earns and unnecessarily going into debt are not wise. We are wise to get out of debt as quickly as possible and to seek to avoid unnecessary debt. 6 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH