Stewardship and Shrewdness: Transforming Our Financial Health
Summary
In our journey through the 50 Days of Transformation, we have explored various dimensions of life, and today we focus on financial health. It's surprising to many that Jesus spoke more about money than heaven or hell, emphasizing its profound impact on our lives. Money can dominate our thoughts and actions, influencing us for better or worse. If we don't manage it wisely, it will manage us. Today, we delve into one of Jesus' most misunderstood parables, found in Luke 16, which features a shrewd manager. This story is not about endorsing dishonesty but about learning from the manager's shrewdness.
The parable challenges us to rethink our relationship with money. Jesus uses this story to teach us that money is a tool, a test, and a trust. It is a tool to be used wisely, a test of our faithfulness, and a trust from God. We are reminded that everything we have is on loan from God, and we are merely stewards of His resources. Our financial decisions reflect our priorities and values, and God uses them to test our faithfulness and trustworthiness.
The story also highlights the importance of being shrewd, which means being smart, strategic, and resourceful. We are called to be biblically shrewd with our finances, making decisions that align with God's principles. This involves not wasting money, not loving it, not trusting it for security, and not expecting it to satisfy our deepest needs. Instead, we should use money to build relationships and invest in eternal purposes.
Ultimately, our financial health is not just about managing money but about aligning our hearts with God's values. We cannot serve both God and money; we must choose who will be the master of our lives. By recognizing that all we have belongs to God and using it wisely, we can reduce financial stress and increase our joy and satisfaction.
Key Takeaways:
1. Everything Belongs to God: Recognize that all possessions are on loan from God. This perspective shifts our focus from ownership to stewardship, reducing worry and increasing gratitude. By acknowledging God's ownership, we can better manage His resources. [19:43]
2. Money as a Test: God uses money to test our faithfulness and trustworthiness. Our financial decisions reveal our priorities and values, and God assesses our ability to handle greater responsibilities based on how we manage earthly resources. [23:49]
3. Shrewdness in Stewardship: Being shrewd means being smart, strategic, and resourceful with our finances. We are called to make decisions that align with God's principles, using money to build relationships and invest in eternal purposes. [11:53]
4. Avoiding Money's Pitfalls: Do not waste, love, trust, or expect money to satisfy. These pitfalls can lead to misplaced priorities and increased stress. Instead, focus on using money as a tool for God's purposes. [17:43]
5. Choosing the Right Master: We cannot serve both God and money. Our financial choices reflect who we serve, and we must decide whether God or money will be the master of our lives. This decision impacts our spiritual and financial well-being. [15:13]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:09] - Introduction to Financial Health
- [00:25] - Jesus' Teachings on Money
- [01:01] - The Influence of Money
- [01:28] - The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
- [02:13] - The Manager's Dilemma
- [03:00] - The Manager's Strategy
- [03:47] - The Master's Praise
- [04:18] - Jesus' Explanation
- [05:22] - Serving God vs. Money
- [06:05] - Learning from Others
- [07:41] - Jesus' Audience: The Pharisees
- [09:07] - What Truly Matters
- [10:47] - Poor Money Management
- [11:33] - Shrewdness Defined
- [12:24] - Four Things Not to Do with Money
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide: Financial Health and Stewardship
#### Bible Reading
1. Luke 16:1-13 - The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
2. Proverbs 23:5 - "Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and flown away like an eagle."
3. Ecclesiastes 5:10 - "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income."
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#### Observation Questions
1. What actions did the shrewd manager take when he realized he was losing his job, and how did his master respond? ([03:47])
2. According to the sermon, why does Jesus use a dishonest manager as the hero of the story? ([05:54])
3. How does the sermon describe the relationship between money and our spiritual responsibilities? ([24:21])
4. What are the four things the sermon advises us not to do with money? ([12:24])
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#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the parable in Luke 16 challenge traditional views on financial management and stewardship? ([04:18])
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that money is a test of our faithfulness and trustworthiness? ([23:49])
3. How does the concept of being a steward rather than an owner of possessions change one's perspective on financial decisions? ([19:43])
4. What does it mean to be "biblically shrewd" with finances, according to the sermon? ([11:53])
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#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current financial habits. Are there areas where you might be "wasting" resources that could be better managed? How can you change this? ([14:06])
2. Consider your relationship with money. Do you find yourself trusting it for security or satisfaction? How can you shift your trust to God instead? ([15:38])
3. Identify a recent financial decision you made. How did it reflect your priorities and values? What might you do differently in the future to align more closely with God's principles? ([23:49])
4. Think about a time when you felt financial stress. How might recognizing God's ownership of all things help reduce that stress? ([19:43])
5. How can you use your financial resources to build relationships and invest in eternal purposes? What specific steps can you take this week? ([04:18])
6. Reflect on the statement "You cannot serve both God and money." What practical steps can you take to ensure God is the master of your life? ([05:22])
7. How can you cultivate gratitude for the resources you have, recognizing them as gifts from God? What daily practice might help reinforce this mindset? ([19:43])
Devotional
Day 1: Stewardship Over Ownership
Recognizing that everything we possess is on loan from God shifts our perspective from ownership to stewardship. This understanding reduces worry and increases gratitude, as we acknowledge that we are merely caretakers of God's resources. By embracing this mindset, we can better manage what has been entrusted to us, aligning our financial decisions with God's purposes. This approach encourages us to focus on how we can use our resources to serve others and fulfill God's will, rather than being consumed by the desire to accumulate wealth for ourselves. [19:43]
"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers." (Psalm 24:1-2, ESV)
Reflection: How can you shift your mindset from ownership to stewardship in your daily financial decisions?
Day 2: Money as a Measure of Faithfulness
Money serves as a test of our faithfulness and trustworthiness. Our financial decisions reveal our priorities and values, and God uses them to assess our ability to handle greater responsibilities. By managing earthly resources wisely, we demonstrate our readiness to be entrusted with more significant spiritual responsibilities. This perspective encourages us to view money not as an end in itself but as a means to demonstrate our commitment to God's principles and to prepare for greater opportunities to serve Him. [23:49]
"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." (Luke 16:10, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you demonstrate faithfulness in your financial decisions today, even in small matters?
Day 3: Strategic Stewardship
Being shrewd with our finances means being smart, strategic, and resourceful. We are called to make decisions that align with God's principles, using money to build relationships and invest in eternal purposes. This involves not wasting money, not loving it, not trusting it for security, and not expecting it to satisfy our deepest needs. Instead, we should focus on how our financial choices can further God's kingdom and positively impact the lives of others. [11:53]
"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16, ESV)
Reflection: How can you be more strategic and resourceful with your finances to align with God's purposes?
Day 4: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Money
Money can easily become a source of misplaced priorities and increased stress if we waste it, love it, trust it for security, or expect it to satisfy our deepest needs. Instead, we are encouraged to use money as a tool for God's purposes, focusing on how it can be used to serve others and advance His kingdom. By avoiding these pitfalls, we can reduce financial stress and find greater joy and satisfaction in our lives. [17:43]
"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5, ESV)
Reflection: What steps can you take today to ensure that money does not become a source of misplaced priorities in your life?
Day 5: Choosing Your Master
We cannot serve both God and money; we must choose who will be the master of our lives. Our financial choices reflect who we serve, and this decision impacts our spiritual and financial well-being. By recognizing that all we have belongs to God and using it wisely, we can align our hearts with His values and experience greater peace and fulfillment. This choice requires us to evaluate our priorities and make intentional decisions that reflect our commitment to serving God above all else. [15:13]
"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." (Luke 16:13, ESV)
Reflection: What practical steps can you take to ensure that God, and not money, is the master of your life?
Quotes
"Now this weekend we're going to look at the most misunderstood story of Jesus in the entire Bible, it's a doozy and it's in Luke chapter 16. If you have a Bible you might want to turn to Luke chapter 16 otherwise pull out your message notes all the verses we're going to look at are in on that outline today if you pull that out and the reason why this is a confusing passage is because it appears that Jesus is approving of dishonesty he's not he just uses a clever crook as the hero of the story and he's used using it for shock value." [00:01:22]
"Jesus said there once was a rich man who enlisted a manager to take care of his property but the manager was accused of wasting his master's possessions so the owner called them in and said you must now give an account of your stewardship and Report what you've done with what I entrusted to you because your time as a manager is ending now the manager thought what am I going to do now I'm losing my job but I'm not strong enough to dig ditches and I'm Too Proud to Beg." [00:02:15]
"Now when the master this is the owner heard what the dishonest manager had done he still praised him he praised him for his shrewdness for worldly people are more shrewd in handling their Affairs than are those who belong to the light now that is a strange story in the next couple verses Jesus gives a little bit into the meaning of it and he says in verse n so Jesus said I tell you use your worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves." [00:03:47]
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and who's ever dishonest with little will also be dishonest with much so if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth he's saying if you're not a good money manager if you're not taking care of the money that I've given you if you've been untrustworthy in handling worldly wealth who's going to trust you with true riches spiritual riches the real Riches of life." [00:04:41]
"No servant can serve two masters he'll either hate the one and love the other or he'll be devoted to one and despise the other you cannot serve God and money notice he didn't say you should not he said you can't it's impossible you cannot serve God and money now that may be the most frustrating the most shocking and the most misunderstood story that Jesus ever told and it's important to note a couple things first Jesus is not praising the guy's dishonesty he's praising his shrewdness." [00:05:22]
"Friends one of the most powerful ways you can transform your spiritual life is to memorize scripture God tells us in Proverbs 7:2 guard my words as your most precious possession write them down and also keep them deep within your heart now here's how I want to help you memorize God's word we've put together a new packet a new set of cards with verses from the Bible for you to memorize they're very beautiful and they will keep these Bible verses God's word before you every day helping you to memorize the word of God." [00:12:46]
"Don't waste it number two don't love it the Bible says we are not to love money don't love it or live for it and that's what he says in verse 13 he says no servant can serve two masters he'll either hate one and love the other or he'll be devoted to one and despise the other you cannot cannot Circle that cannot serve both God and money it's impossible to live with divided Allegiance have you ever tried to work for two bosses how'd that work out yeah not very good." [00:14:31]
"Don't trust it don't waste it don't love it don't trust money for security I don't care how much money you've got you can lose it and so he said don't put your security in it now the manager learned this pretty quick in verse three he says what am I going to do I'm losing my job many of you know what it feels like to lose your job to be out of work and all of a sudden you got no source of security anymore." [00:15:32]
"Every day I need to remember it all belongs to God it all belongs to God the whole universe belongs to God you belong to God the heavens the Sun the moon the stars the trees the plants the Rocks everything ever created belongs to God you don't really own anything what you think you own is really on loan you didn't own it before you were born you're not going to own it after you die God just loans it to you for 80 years it was loaned to somebody else before you were born it's going to be loan to somebody else after you die and you get to use it while you're alive." [00:19:39]
"God is using money to test me God is using money to test me he's testing all kinds of things in my life you see God doesn't just automatically give his blessings to anybody he tests you first to see if you're responsible if you can handle it and if you can't handle it he's not GNA he's not going to trust you with it God doesn't give his spiritual power to just anybody and he says before I give you spiritual power I'm going to give you some material possessions and I'm going to see if you if I can trust you with material possessions then I can trust you with spiritual power." [00:23:49]
"Life is a test life is a trust and life is a temporary assignment this life is preparation for the next this is the get ready stage this is the warm-up act before the real race begins it's the first race around the track before the real race begins this is the dress rehearsal before the real play begins which is going to go on for eternity and God is is testing you on Earth to see what he can trust you with in eternity." [00:24:36]
"Today I want to ask you to join with daily hope as we focus on fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ you know sharing Jesus with others is the most important thing you can do and if we join together we can reach across the whole world with the message of Christ Christ now right now through daily hope the good news of Jesus reaches into almost every country of the world including regions where it's difficult or dangerous to share the gospel and it's even being translated into 25 different languages and Counting." [00:25:11]
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