Daniel Pink authored a very popular book named Drive. In it he explored what motivates us. You may be surprised to learn that the answer is not money. Money is important up to the point where we are comfortable - meaning that we have a decent home and we can afford to eat some meals at restaurants. After that point, what motivates employees is autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Jesus tells us in John 15:15 that God no longer calls us employees (slaves), but friends. More than that He calls us His sons and daughters. 2 Corinthians 6:18. Has Pink grasped a Biblical principle - that God's system of motivation for His family is something other than money? Let's plunge into our beginning study on the topic of money in the Bible and find out!...
Romans chapter 5 repeatedly refers to our righteousness before God as a gift. In case we were confused about what "gift" means, it is repeatedly referred to as a "free gift." See, e.g. Romans 5:17. Yet some continue to ask "What does accepting the gift require that we do?" It would not be a "free" gift if it required that we do anything. There are, however, two closely related issues. The practical question is whether we want the gift? Many people would not accept a free gift of gym membership because they understand the purpose of a gym. Many people do not want eternal life in a Kingdom ruled by God. Thus a reasonable question is this: "Do you really want the free gift of eternal life in an earth made new?" Asking whether you really desire a gift does not change the fact that it is free. The second related question is our study this week. Why does God command us to do (or not do) certain things? Let's plunge into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
Last week we discussed that salvation is free, but God presents challenges for us to receive special blessings. We began a discussion about the tithing blessing. This week we do a deep dive into the subject of tithing. What does God expect of us? What are the opportunities that it presents? Is tithing a moot issue? What does the Bible really teach about tithing for Christians? Let's dive into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
Many years ago I was volunteering my time to do some physical labor for the church. I was young and one of the older members discussed family finances with me. When he learned that my wife and I had our money in a joint bank account he exclaimed, "What if she runs off with your money?" Frankly, that had not previously crossed my mind. I responded that I would be more concerned about losing her than losing money. He was astonished by my response. For him, money took precedence over his wife. That conversation is like our study this week. If my job in writing this lesson is to convince you to make voluntary offerings, then the underlying problem is not money, but your attitude toward God. This week as we study the Bible let's focus more on our attitude toward Jesus!...
Over half of Americans say that debt negatively impacts their life. I imagine the same is true for any society which allows easy credit. If there was anything in life that created problems for more than half of the people, that something should be taken seriously. And it is taken seriously by the Bible. The Bible contains an enormous amount of advice on our relationship to money. Part of that relationship is avoiding debt. Sometimes it seems that debt is unavoidable. A medical emergency can create debt. A failed business might create debt. How can a person become a home-owner without taking on debt? Even having a reliable car might require debt. Did you know that God had formal rules for His people and debt? Let's dive into our study of the Bible and learn more about debt!...
Do you need to have someone keep an eye on you? I know I do. Each week I teach the lesson that I write. Turns out that this is an invaluable check on my thinking. When Malachi 3 (and the other verses we have studied) tell us that if we give materially to God's work, He will pour out a huge amount of blessings, I teach that this is about money, among other things. My class members respond that it is about other things more than money. Who is right? The prime characters in the Old Testament were rich and the prime characters in the New Testament were not. Consistent with my view I read Matthew 6:19-20 to be talking about money. "Treasure equals money." Ouch! I'm an old guy who has saved for retirement. But if the blessings in Malachi 3 are not primarily about money, should we conclude that the "treasures on earth" are also not about money? Let's dive into our study of the Bible and see what we can learn!...
When I first started driving I rarely picked up hitchhikers I did not know. One summer morning I was riding with my brother to a construction job when his fancy, but unreliable, car broke down. Suddenly, I saw things from the other side when I needed a ride! One of my challenges in writing this lesson is that I fear that I have a bias based on a lack of experience and therefore a lack of compassion for the poor. Only when I was first married was I poor. Another serious challenge is that the poor in the United States and other democracies have a much different situation than the poor for most of the history of the world. In a democracy the poor can vote and they outnumber the rich. The poor vote themselves money and benefits which are involuntarily taken from the rich. As a result, both the rich and the poor have a sense of entitlement. In the United States, a substantial percentage of the population gives little of its own money to help others because this group is satisfied with voting to redistribute money from the rich to the poor. What does the Bible teach us about a situation like that? What does it mean to have an attitude like Jesus had towards the poor in the context of a society like ours? Let's plunge into our study of the Bible and see what we can learn!...
One of the great blessings of my life is that I have the opportunity to help law students plot their future. Recently, a student told me that his goal was to have money. He considered the example of the Dean of our law school. The Dean had been a litigation partner at one of the largest law firms in the United States. After a couple of decades he took a huge reduction in pay and started teaching at the Christian law school where I teach. I pointed out that earning the money first created the difficult problem of having to turn away from money. As an alternative I offered the plan of my life - from the very beginning my goal was to work for God. Although I've always worked for a non-profit organization, God has blessed in every way. What do you consider to be success? A tranquil life? A loving family? A job you enjoy? Money? A great house? Great cars? Traveling the world? Let's dive into our study of the Bible and explore its formula for success!...
Most topics that we study involve goals on which the population generally agrees. Who thinks killing, stealing, lying, or adultery are good things? People get involved in these sins, but generally not because they thought it was the right thing to do. That is not the case with coveting. Powerful forces consider coveting an important tool to advance their interests. Consider three examples. Much of the advertising world promotes a spirit of covetousness. It is not that advertisers want you to steal their product, but rather that you need to buy it to be envied by others. Labor unions explicitly promote coveting. One major union publishes the salaries of top company executives. The union does not bargain for these executives. Rather, the purpose is to promote envy and covetousness among workers. Many politicians use coveting as a way to get re-elected. They promise that they will take money from rich successful people and give it to those who vote for them. Why is covetousness a problem since it has so many powerful proponents? Let's dive into our study of the Bible and find out!...
Our study this week is about what we should do "in our last years." If the "giving back" in the title is directed towards the parents rather than the children, doesn't that make the title very odd? Aren't old people poor? Isn't the cry "I'm on a fixed income" a plea for favorable financial treatment? What about all of those discounts for old people? Doesn't that show that they are in need? The truth is that a lot of older people, especially those who followed the teachings of the Bible on money, have quite a bit saved for their old age. What should those old people do with their assets in their final years? Let's plunge into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
About sixteen years ago when I started teaching in law school, I had my Labor Law students read an article about a strike in France. The point was to compare the nature of strikes in France and the United States. The underlying dispute was over the amount of France's national debt and its ability to qualify to enter the European Union. France's debt to income ratio was relatively low, but economists in Europe said it must be lower. Today, these same EU countries carry national debts that are close to their income. This is also true for the United States. Japan's national debt is far in excess of its income. I'm no expert on national debt, but this dramatic change makes me believe that a world-wide economic collapse is much more likely now than in the past. How should Christians prepare for such an event? What approach should we take to manage tough times? Let's explore what the Bible teaches us about crisis management!...
Whenever I have my vision tested, they check to see how far to each side I can see when I'm looking straight ahead. Some people have injuries or a disease that cause them to have only a narrow field of vision. My thought is that many Christians have very narrow vision when it comes to the "Rewards of Faithfulness." They see a reward only after they go to heaven, and that tends to create confusion about the relationship between works and salvation. While it is true that some will only see their reward in heaven (see Hebrews 11), for most Christians this narrow vision is akin to a disease. It causes them to miss the most obvious rewards for faithfulness, which come here and now as a result of obeying God. Let's jump into our study of the Bible and you can decide whether I'm looking at this correctly!...
