Good With Money (part 4): Return on Investment

TO START

What would you say was one of the best investments you’ve ever made? All answers welcome: funny, financial, and metaphoric.

***This week is the last week of small group discussion guides until the fall (mid August). We encourage your group to continue meeting over the summer, praying, sharing, and loving one another just as you always do.***

TO DISCUSS

Eccl. 11:1 says, “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.”

  • What does that mean? How does “investment” work? Share a few examples of ways you might invest your time and money--including what you might hope to gain from the investment.

Consider a few of the purchases you’ve made this week. What did you invest in? Do you usually think of purchases as investments?

Our bottom line from the sermon this week was: “Do what you can with what you’ve got while there’s time.”

  • What does that mean?

  • Personally, how does that challenge you? Have you struggled to invest kingdom-wisely? Explain why that might be or how it’s played out.

  • Perhaps this gives you peace? If so, how/why?

  • What might living into this bottom line look like in your daily life?

Consider this sentence from Klyne Snodgrass: “The church should demonstrate by its use of money the reality of the gospel.”

  • Have you ever known anyone who demonstrated the reality of the gospel in their use of money? Share with the group. What did it look like? How did they invest their resources?

It can be hard to make choices here on earth in light of an eternity we can’t see or don’t always feel like we can understand. Take a minute to talk Heaven together. What’s it going to be like? Why is it going to be so good? What makes it worth the sacrifices here?

Has this series affected you in any particular way?  What are you thinking about differently? Have you made any decisions to act differently?

TO READ

Read I Timothy 6:18-19.

According to this passage, what should we do with our money and stuff?

  • Why?

  • What does this phrase mean: “so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life”?

  • What do you think the “life that is truly life” will be like?

TO PRAY

Don’t leave group tonight without having prayed about money. Here are a few things you might assign group members to pray for:

  • Freedom from slavery to money

  • Contentment

  • Generosity / Open Hands

  • Realistic expectations of what money can do

  • Wisdom

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