January 24th, 2015
Devotional
“Enough: When Dreams Become Nightmares” - 1 Tim 6:10, Ecc 5:10, Matthew 16:26
Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com
Monday: “Don’t Put Your Hope in Wealth” - 1 Tim 6:17
Money itself is completely neutral. We need money to exchange for our daily needs - like a safe place to live, food and clothing. However, it is the value we place on money that we need to be cautious about. This is not the monetary value that is displayed on the bills we have in our wallets or the checks we receive or the balance in our bank accounts. Instead, the value we need to be aware of is that which our heart places on money. Do we find ourselves constantly striving to have more money, and if so to what end? Do we place our hope in money instead of God? We need to constantly have heart checks around the value we place on money and how it stands in relationship to our belief in God.
What concerns do you around money? How can you hand these concerns over to God?
What value do you find yourself placing on money?
Prayer: For the next several weeks, you are invited to pray the same prayer everyday, which is composed by Rev. Adam Hamilton in his book Enough. As you pray it anew each day, may God speak to your heart.
Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen.
Tuesday: “Your Own Heart” - Matthew 16:26, Matthew 7:1-2
We need to confess the times that we have looked to our perceived sin of others to give us an excuse from examining our own hearts. We are told in scripture not to judge others but it can be so easy to do so around the topic of finances. We judge why people need public assistance without knowing their specific story or circumstances. We judge why people have nice things, without knowing how much they give away in relation to what they make. We judge that someone makes to much money, when don’t know the hard work they put in.
Instead of judging, let us examine our own hearts. Let us pray that God reveal to us if there is anything that is blocking us from life to the fullest. When we pray, especially in light of Mathew 16:26, may we ask God to remove anything of the world that may look like profit or gain, but will cost us our very lives.
How can we keep ourselves from judging others?
Prayer: Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen.
Wednesday: “ Keep from Wandering” - 1 Tim 6:10, Matthew 3:1-9, Matthew 13: 18-23
When we start to worry about things that we cannot control - we let our anxiety drive us to be irrational. We stop seeking the most important thing, the Kingdom of God, and become fixated on the immediate, and on us and on our own needs. But that fear is mis-placed, brothers and sisters. If God intends for us to sow our financial resources for the Kingdom of God, shouldn’t we more aptly fear under sowing for the Kingdom? Shouldn’t it bring us to our knees that we may be spending our lives worrying about food and clothing and only sowing a few handfuls of our finances for God as a result?
The truth is that the Christian Church doesn’t like to hear stewardship sermons because it makes us face our fears about money. Our fear of not having enough. Our fear of owning up to the fact that we are watering down our giving. In the Untied States only one-third to one-half of church go-ers give in the offering plate. Give anything. And out of that percentage only three to five percent actually give God ten percent or more. In the United Methodist Church it is even worse. We are among the lowest of all denominations in giving. And for those that do give, they often give only one percent or less of their yearly income.
We get anxious when we start to talk about stewardship or pass the offering plate. We start to hear only what we want to hear or let our anxiety and fear lead to anger, instead of allowing God to speak into our hearts. But there is good news, brothers and sisters - fear and faith often go hand in hand. We become fearful when we trust God to do something grand amongst us, but when we trust and take that step of faith, we get to see who God is and why we can stand on the promises of God.
What happens to the gospel in our lives when we are consumed by a desire for wealth?
Prayer: Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen.
Thursday: “Lover of Wealth” - Ecc 5:10, Mark 8:36, Matthew 6:33
Our finances allow us to proclaim what we believe - and make us come face to face with the questions of if we really believe that God will provide and if we trust God enough to faithfully give? When we give to God, boldly, we get to see Jesus Christ at work. Its not about keeping the doors of this particular church open or continuing the mission and message of this denomination, though I believe that both of those things are good and pleasing to God. At the end of the day its about trusting that we are sowing for the Kingdom of God - here and now and in the future. Its about setting aside our fear, and having a conversion about our wallets, in order to proclaim the Kingdom message.
Sometimes, however, we can become distracted from the gospel message and its implications because we fall in love with money. The idea of money. Having money to spend. We fall in love with the idea that we need more. Recently, I was reading in a book a story of a man who told his pastor that he didn’t want to give to the work of the Kingdom because he earned every penny he had and wanted to spend it as he desires. How many of us sometimes have similar attitudes?
What is God saying to you through these verses?
What fuels your personal desire for more? How can you guard your heart against this?
Prayer: Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen.
Friday: “Enough” - Proverbs 30:7-9
The message about personal finances is hard to hear. Too many of us feel that we are drowning in our debt and are caught on the hamster wheel of worry. When we talk about money we need to confess those spending habits that we have that keep us away from God, keep us in debt, and render us ineffective for the Kingdom. And after confession we need to repent and turn around in a way that fully releases all of our resources - time, money, and talents - for God’s purposes, instead of only looking to and trusting God when we personally are in need.
That is a hard message to swallow. To cease worrying is a challenge unto itself. To cease worrying about money and the future - that seems insurmountable. And yet, this conversation also gives us a chance to dive into the heart of the question - what do finances reveal about our commitment to God? Are we striving and seeking after the Kingdom of God, first, foremost, and forever? Or are we worrying about what tomorrow may hold. Amen.
What does enough look like in your life?
Think about the next purchase you plan on making. Do you need that item? Why or why not?
Prayer: Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen.
Saturday: Preparing for the Word
You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Enough: Wisdom and Finances ” - Proverbs 21: 5, 200
Family Activity: Consider setting aside a set amount of money for the family to decide what to do with together. How will you decide what to spend it on? How does the family feel about the choice together? Is is something you need or want? How do you feel when the money is spent?
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