Series: “Bling”
Focus: Money represents power and choice, both of which are gifts from God.  How are you using them?

Family Discussion:

Money!  It’s a topic that can easily divide the closest of friends and family.  But this week at Catalyst we are boiling cash down to not the paper and coins, but the power and choice that it represents.  It might seem elementary, but money isn’t really worth all that much.  It’s really only helpful if you can exchange it for other things – food, shelter, clothing, etc.  So what’s the big deal with money? Money allows us the ability to make choices.  The more money, the more choices and power.  When we see our finances this way, it’s no wonder Jesus talked so much about money! 

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”  –Luke 16:10-12

God has given us what we have.  Instead of focusing on the dollar amount that we wish we had (what would make us “happy”) our challenge is to use what He has given to us.  With every dollar (or minute, opportunity, talent, or relationship) we have a choice, we have the power to use it to glorify God.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is it so easy to get bogged down in chasing after more money?
2. Do you think that your life would change if you won the lottery?
3. Would your priorities and personality change?
4. What can you do as a family to show God (and others) that you are being “trustworthy in handling worldly wealth?”

Wrap Up: When it comes to money, it’s not about what, or how much, we have, but how we use what we’ve been given.  Money doesn’t last; it just represents our choices.  If you really want to examine how much you are trusting God and living for Him, follow your checkbook and read Matthew 25:14-30.