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You Know What They Say Week 3
Money is the Root of All Evil
weekend in review
Gene tackled what he is certain is the most misquoted verse in the Bible, “Money is the root of all evil.”
What the Bible really says is in 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” It’s not money itself, it is the love of money.
WARM UP
Begin with some conversation, checking in on how people are doing. You can talk about whatever you’d like, but here are potential questions to get the conversation going.
What are the first three things you usually tell people about yourself?
How do you define contentment? From your own experience, what have you discovered to be one of the keys to contentment?
DISCUSS
Select 5-6 questions from the list below to guide your discussion time.
Gene quoted personal-finance author, Rachel Cruze: “Money doesn’t have morals of its own. It takes on the characteristics of the person holding it.” Can you think of examples of this that you’ve seen personally?
How would you describe your relationship with money and possessions? Do you find these things ever create a barrier between you and God, or is this something you don’t struggle with often?
Read 1 Timothy 6:9-12. People get into trouble when we allow the lure of getting more money to dominate us. List the things Paul encouraged Timothy to pursue. Share which one is a challenge for you to pursue.
Read Mark 10:17-22. Jesus invited the wealthy young ruler into freedom, encouraging him to let go of the one thing that was causing him to miss out on eternal life. To accept Jesus’ invitation would require the young man to truly place his affection, confidence, and priorities in God instead of in his own possessions. Why do you think he walked away crestfallen? Where have you held on to something, instead of letting go?
Read Mark 8:36. Gene assured us that Jesus is not interested in capturing our money; he is interested in capturing our hearts. What do you need to let go of that keeps you from a closer relationship with Jesus?
Read 1 Timothy 6:6-8. How does Paul’s view of contentment compare with the world’s view of contentment?
Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19. What did Paul encourage wealthy people to do (an antidote to the love of money)?
When we struggle to find contentment, how can we align with God’s purposes for our life?
application
What do we risk missing out on if we have misplaced priorities? What can you do daily to keep your priorities in line with God’s?
WRAP UP & PRAYER
Share prayer requests and spend time praying for each other.
Close in prayer, asking God to reveal anything your group might be clinging to for significance other than a relationship with Jesus. Pray that each person will be overwhelmed by the love of God this week and will turn to him as the true source of life and contentment. Pray for opportunities to be helpful to others.