CHapter Two - God's part, Our Part

"How much money is enough?" "Just a little bit more." - John D. Rockefeller, American billionaire

LESSON 1 - GOD'S PART

1.  God's part in the area of money is Lord. As Lord of all, God has three roles; ownership, control, and provision. 

 Read 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 - " 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,  for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;  you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you;  you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all." 

2.  Ownership: The Lord owns everything in the world; Deuteronomy 10:14 - "To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it."  

And Psalms 24:1 - "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;" 

The Land; Leviticus 25:23 -  “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers."  

The Animals; Psalms 50:10-12 -  "10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it."  

Gold and Silver; Haggai 2:8 -  "The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty." 

And, You!; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 -  "21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

3. Control: The Lord is in control of everything and does what He pleases in heaven and Earth. 1 Chronicles 29:11 -  " 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power  and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,  for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;  you are exalted as head over all. "

Psalms 135:6 - "The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths." 

Daniel 4:34-35 -  "34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

Isaiah 45:6-7 - "6 so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting  people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things." 

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose." 

4. Provision: The Lord promises to provide for our needs; Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." And in miraculous ways; John 6:1-14 - Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand - "1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near..."

1 Kings 17:4 & 6 - "4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook."

Philippians 4:19 - "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."

LESSON 2 - OUR PART

1. The word that best describes our part is steward, manager of someone else's stuff. Psalms 8:6 - "You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their[a] feet:" Our responsibility is to be found faithful; 1 Corinthians 4:2 - "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful."

2. Be faithful with What We Are Given. Read the parable of the talents; Matthew 25:14-15, 21 & 23 -  14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.  21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 

The Lord rewards faithfulness!

3.  Be Faithful in Every Area, in handling of ALL our money. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" -  Hosea 4:6

LESSON 3 - FAITHFULNESS

Benefits of Handling Money Faithfully. The faithful steward enjoys 3 benefits:

1. More Intimate Fellowship with Jesus Christ. Matthew 25:21 - "His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!"

2. The Development of Character. The Bible shows that money is regarded as an index of a person's true character. Your heart camps with your money.

3. Having Our Finances in Order. Apply God's principals to money and we slash debt, spend more wisely, save money, and give more to the Lord.

There Are Three Principals of Faithfulness; 1) Waste and Lose. 2) In Little Things.  3) In Others' Things.

1. If We Waste Possessions, The Lord May Remove Us as Stewards. Luke 16:1-2 -  "Jesus told his disciples: 'There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’"  The steward squandered his masters possessions and was held accountable.

2. We Must Be Faithful In Little Things. Luke 16:10 - “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." 

3. We Must Be Faithful With Others'  Possessions .  Luke 16:10 - “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." 

LESSON 4 - APPLICATION

Start Your Spending Plan. Track all income and expenses for at least one week. Create a spending category list from the tracking.

** END OF CHAPTER TWO **

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Chapter Three - Debt