1. Understand how prone we are to its
I Timothy 6:17 “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God…” (NLT=New Living Translation)
Mark 10:23-25 “Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard[f] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” (NLT)
2. Give to keep our focus on
Matthew 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (NLT)
3. Give to keep the focus off
Philippians 2:3-5 “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” (NLT)
I Corinthians 6:19-20 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (NLT)
4. Give to stay connected to the
Matthew 6:21 “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (NLT)
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” (NLT)
Meeting the
Discussion Questions:
Why we are all prone to the virus of materialism?
Discuss the astonishing things Jesus said about the rich in Mark 10. How does this apply to us today?
How does giving help us seek first the Kingdom of God? How do we follow this practically?
How does materialism cause us to be self-focused? How does generosity help us be others-focused?
Why did Jesus teach that our treasure (money) and our hearts are connected? How can our generosity help keep us connected to the things on God’s heart (Needs of others / advancing the Kingdom)?
How are you going to immunize yourself against the materialistic culture we live in?
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