Everyone loves to have a little bit of money in their
pocket don't they! In fact, if I offered you a crisp new 20
dollar bill right now with no strings attached, I'm sure you'd all take it. But what if I crumpled it up? Would you still want it? What if I threw it in the dirt and stomped on it? Would you still want the 20 dollar bill even then? Most of us would say yes because the paper bill is still worth $20. It didn't lose its value when it got crumpled up and stomped on in the dirt.
The same is true of all of us. No matter how many times we go digging in
the dirt, or someone else stomp
s on us, or we get crumpled up and thrown by the wayside we are still worth the same amount to God as before! In fact Matthew 10:28 says,
Matthew
10:28-31 28 Do not be afraid of those who
kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can
destroy both soul and body in hell. 29
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the
ground apart from the will of your Father.
30 And even the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. 31 So don't be
afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
You are worth more than many sparrows yet not one of them
falls to the earth apart from God. God
is in control of all things and he made you and formed you for a purpose. In Jeremiah 1:5 God tells a young Jeremiah that he is valuable and that his life has purpose: "Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart"
Our value, who we are just the way God made us, is
immeasurable! Our Value comes from what God says about us, not from what everyone
else says about us!
Over the next few weeks we are going to be talking about money; how to handle it, manage it, and have control over it rather than it having control over us. To understand how to handle our money, we have to first understand our value in Christ and be good stewards of what God has given us already.
That includes our time, our bodies, our minds, and our possessions.
Here are some of the questions we asked the students in discussion groups:
1. How content are you? (most said they were either somewhere in the middle or lower)
2. How content are you with you are? (not just with what you have)
3. What are some of the things culture says about teenagers? (Lazy, entitled, too plugged in, can't communicate, unmotivated, self-absorbed...)
4. What is your perspective on teenagers? Are they really like this? (sometimes, but not everyone)
5. What are the qualities you want to see in your generation that could lead to good stewardship and financial peace? (Motivation, follow their dreams, boldness, courage, faith, contentment)
6. What does Jesus mean when he says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Luke 12:34)? (Your heart is prone to follow after worldly desires which do not bring peace or contentment)
7. What does Dave Ramsey say is the most powerful financial principle? (Contentment)
8. How does contentment bring about Financial Power and Financial Peace? (You won’t spend more than you have because you are content with what you
have, therefore you won’t be in debt. When you’re not in debt you
have financial power. When your not in debt you don’t worry. When you’re content
with what you have you don’t waste time and money keeping up with the
Jones. When you’re content you don’t spend money on worthless things
that are obsolete in a year or that you forget about in a month therefore you
are able to save. When you save you have money in the bank and don’t
have to live paycheck to paycheck and that brings peace)
Take away principle: Dave pointed out, the world is always
trying to tell us what we should value.
The problem is that the world’s opinions about what is valuable is
always changing. It’s impossible to keep
up. Chasing the world’s values just
leaves us wanting more and feeling empty, unsatisfied, and discontent. The only way to be content is to treasure
what God says is valuable. Then our
hearts will be satisfied and we will be fulfilled.
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