Responsible Living | Money Made Simple Week 3 | Pastor Tim Moore

Money dominates attention and often breeds anxiety, and scripture and common sense together offer a clear, practical pathway out of that stress. The content sets a simple, repeatable framework: give, save, live. Giving the first and best—ten percent—places God first and invites blessing; saving aims toward a long-term vision (twenty percent as an ideal) that builds margin and freedom; living asks for intentional, disciplined spending so present enjoyment doesn’t destroy future stability. The order matters: honoring God and securing the future must come before designing a lifestyle. Luke 16’s parable reframes wealth as entrusted resource rather than personal ownership, teaching that God is the owner and people act as managers whose faithfulness with little determines access to greater stewardship. Practical realities underscore the teaching: many Americans spend beyond means, carry credit-card debt, and lack emergency buffers, which magnifies stress and damages relationships. Three concrete spending questions emerge as tools to prevent that trap—distinguish needs from wants, confirm available funds (not just monthly payments), and choose the right timing to purchase. Patience and the Spirit’s fruit—self-control and long-suffering—help align desire with stewardship, demonstrated through a test of delayed gratification in purchasing decisions. Trustworthiness in small things signals readiness for larger responsibilities: faith expressed in giving, wisdom in saving, and restraint in spending form a trinity of faithful financial practice. Practical next steps include learning budgeting skills, considering Financial Peace University access, and taking incremental faith-driven actions—start where resources allow, aim for a vision, and build habits that honor God and protect future freedom. The invitation challenges idols of money and calls for a wholehearted alignment of priorities so material resources serve spiritual ends, not the reverse.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Give the first ten percent Giving the first ten percent reorders priorities and tests trust in God rather than money. Responding to the tithe as the firstfruits creates discipline, prevents token generosity, and positions finances under divine sovereignty rather than personal ownership. The practice cultivates a habit of surrendering control and opening space for God’s provision to be noticed in ordinary life. [04:21]
• 2. Save toward twenty percent goal Aiming to save twenty percent functions as a long-term vision that builds margin and future options. Treating the percentage as a target rather than an immediate demand allows incremental progress without shame, while directing funds toward emergencies, retirement, and planned desires. Saving reframes identity from consumer to steward and reduces vulnerability to surprise expenses. [04:56]
• 3. Order matters: give, save, live Putting giving and saving before lifestyle prevents reactive consumption and repeated financial resets. Obedience to order reframes spending as a choice inside limits instead of an entitlement that expands with income. Practiced discipline resists the cultural pull to scale consumption alongside earnings and preserves freedom for kingdom priorities. [06:45]
• 4. Spend with three wise questions Asking “need or want,” “do I have the money,” and “is this the right time” creates a decision architecture that thwarts impulsive purchases. Those questions expose justifications, protect against financing wants with debt, and invite patient timing that aligns desire with stewardship. Repeated use builds self-control and prevents the erosion of future options. [24:03]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:37] - Financial anxiety and context
• [02:49] - The three-step framework
• [03:23] - Repeat: Give, Save, Live
• [04:21] - Tithe: give first ten percent
• [04:56] - Saving goal: aim for 20%
• [06:45] - The importance of order
• [12:05] - Luke 16 parable: stewardship
• [24:03] - Three spending questions
• [28:05] - Debt, credit, and warning signs
• [33:30] - Patience, timing, and testimony
• [37:34] - Trustworthy with little, promised much
• [40:33] - Financial Peace University offer

Bible reading
Luke 16:1-13 (ESV)
He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Observation questions

1. In the parable, what was the manager accused of, and what was his immediate response when he found out he was being fired? [13:02]
2. What specific actions did the manager take with his master's debtors to secure his future? [13:40]
3. According to Jesus in verse 10, what is the relationship between being trustworthy with a little and being trustworthy with much?
4. What are the three practical questions that can help guide spending decisions? [24:03]

Interpretation questions

1. The master commended the manager for acting shrewdly, even though his actions were dishonest. What does this suggest about the level of intentionality and foresight Jesus expects from his followers in managing resources? [19:13]
2. Jesus states that the "people of this world" are more shrewd than the "people of the light." In the context of personal finances, what might this look like today? What worldly financial shrewdness should believers actually avoid, and what kind of godly shrewdness should they adopt? [20:34]
3. The parable reframes wealth as an entrusted resource rather than personal ownership. How does this perspective change the way one views their income and possessions? [16:15]
4. The framework for managing money is "give, save, live," and the order is emphasized as crucial. Why is the sequence so important, and what happens when people reverse it to "live, save, give"? [06:45]

Application questions

1. The tithe is about trusting God with the first 10%. What fears or practical obstacles make it difficult to take that step of faith, and what would it look like to start, even with a small amount? [04:21]
2. Saving 20% is presented as a vision, not necessarily an immediate reality. Where are you currently on that journey, and what is one specific, next-step goal you can set to move closer to that vision, whether it's 1% or 5%? [04:56]
3. The three spending questions—"Is this a need or a want?", "Do I have the money?", and "Is this the right time?"—create a decision filter. Which of these three questions is the most challenging for you to ask yourself honestly before a purchase, and why? [24:03]
4. Being "trustworthy with little" is a test for greater responsibility. What is one area of your financial life that feels like "very little" right now? What would it look like to be faithful and wise with that specific area this week? [37:34]
5. Financial stress often damages relationships. Is there a relationship in your life that is currently strained or could be improved by making more prudent financial decisions? What is one step you could take to alleviate that pressure? [23:10]
6. The fruit of the Spirit includes self-control and patience. When you feel a strong desire to make an impulsive purchase, what is a practical way to pause and invite the Holy Spirit to help you exercise that self-control in the moment? [21:27]
7. If money has become an idol, it's often the last thing we surrender to God. What is one tangible indicator that might reveal whether God or money is truly first in your life? [42:21]