Page 86 - Personal Spiritual Life Syllabus w videos

Study Section 14: Giving to God and Others

14.1 Connect.

Have you ever noticed that most of the patriarchs in the Bible were wealthy? Even Job, who
lost everything he had, got it all back after being tested. Wealth in Bible days was a sign of
blessing. If you had lots of material possessions, then your god was blessing you. Your
wealth was a symbol that your god was God.

Today, it’s not quite the same. People don’t look at you if you are wealthy and think that
your god is blessing you. They think you are a shrewd businessman or an intelligent entrepreneur.
Instead of God getting the credit, now days the rich are credited with the honor.

Riches can be an enormous stumbling block to knowing God. Remember the rich young ruler who came
to Christ? Jesus showed him that he loved his wealth more than he loved God. He left sad and probably
ended up eternally lost. He lost his soul so that he could enjoy his short time on earth in style. That’s
how strong the love of riches can be! God gives us money. He may give us more than we need. Today
we want to learn how to manage what God has given us and how we can become a blessing to others.

14.2 Objectives:

1. The student should be able to explain that everything we possess, including all our money,
belongs to God.

2. The student should be able to discuss the Law of the Tithe from the Mosaic Law to
determine if the New Testament Church is still obligated to tithe.

3. The student should be able to discuss the Scriptural references in the New Testament concerning
tithing to see if God wants believers today to give 10% of their income to Him.

14.3 Giving to God

Did you know there are over 2,350 verses in the Bible about money? While we don’t
have the time to review every verse, we will consider a large number of verses in this
short paper.

Did you know that nearly half of Jesus’ parables are about possessions? God is concerned
with how we manage our possessions!

The Bible is packed with wise counsel about your financial life. In fact, Jesus had more to say about
money than about heaven and hell combined. So looking into God’s Word will bring to our mind God’s
major principles in managing our resources.

Who owns your possessions and money?

Key Concept: Everything belongs to God, and it is from Him that we are given stewardship over worldly
wealth. God looks at wealth differently than we do. To be good stewards of what God has given us, we

85