SENIOR HIGH YOUTHQUEST

FOLLOWING AFTER GOD - WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?

On Friday we looked at our part 6 of our series entitled, "How Does Believing in God Affect My Financial World?"

We talked about the "dot.com" days where in a generation we went from devoting ourselves to one company for 30 years in hopes to being promoted to senior management to hoping one lucky stock investment would make us rich. We talked about Shawn Fanning, who became a multimillionaire of 19 by inventing Napster. Then we talked about how in an instant, it all collapsed in an economic crash (100, 000 jobs vanished from the Internet economy since December 1999 and 435 Internet based companies folded (since 2001).

The main passage we looked at from the Bible was Mark 12:41-44

The Widow's Offering

⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴²But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.⁴³Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

Challenge

Jesus believed that the way we spend our money reveals a great deal about our heart - it is like a living biography of our lives. He believed this was true for committed Christ-followers, and it was true for those who did not follow God. But contrary to what many believe, God does not want your money-God wants your heart. When the heart connection is there, we carry that connection right into our financial world

How do you respond?

Self Reflection

1. How does the fact that God does not want my money but my heart affect my understanding of God?

2. What does the way I view my money say about the condition of my heart?

3. What do I want it to say?

4. How can I begin moving in that direction?

* Taken from "Following After God - What differences does God make?" - Daniel Hill.