Honor God

(Psalm 24:1 NIV) The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of the resources God has entrusted to us, including our time, talents, finances, possessions, and even the earth itself. It is rooted in the understanding that God is the ultimate owner of everything, and we are His managers or caretakers.

(Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV) Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Hebrew: hôn (הוֹן)

hôn (הוֹן) - Abundance or that which has been accumulated, including money, land, livestock, and goods—anything of value that can be given or managed.

A 2023 survey by Bankrate found that 52% of U.S. adults report that money negatively impacts their mental health.

According to a 2024 study by The Motley Fool, 54% of respondents feel stressed or anxious about their personal finances at least three days a week, with 87% experiencing financial stress at least once a week.

Total Household Debt: As of Q1 2025, U.S. household debt reached a record $18.2 trillion, marking a $167 billion (0.9%) increase from the previous quarter.

The national average credit card debt among cardholders with unpaid balances was $7,321 in Q1 2025, up 5.8% from $6,921 in Q1 2024

(Proverbs 22:7 NIV) The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.

If a person carries the average credit card balance of $7,321 and only makes minimum payments, at the average interest rate of 24.2% APR: How long will it take to pay it off?

1001 Months
Over 83 years
Total Amount Paid: $138,695.39
Paying over 18x the original balance in interest

Financial Peace University Small Group

Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps
Baby Step 1: Save $1,000 for a starter emergency fund
Baby Step 2: Pay off all debt (except the house) using the debt snowball
Baby Step 3: Save 3–6 months of expenses in a fully funded emergency fund
Baby Step 4: Invest 15% of your household income in retirement
Baby Step 5: Save for your children’s college fund
Baby Step 6: Pay off your home early
Baby Step 7: Build wealth and give generously

(Luke 12:15-21 NIV) 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

(Proverbs 13:22 NIV) A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

(1 Timothy 6:10 NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

How can we honor God with our money?

Live within your means
Give generously
Invest in eternity

(Colossians 2:14 NIV) having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

(Romans 6:23 NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.