Chapter 16: Money - Thoughts on Paying Rent

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." - Matthew 6:19-24

Mark here. Sorry the posts is a couple of days late. Anyway, the topic this week is money, so I thought these words from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount might be a good way to enter into the topic.

1. "We are worth the money we make. Maybe this is a man thing; maybe women don't think about this ...". Do men and women think about money differently? How? How can this affect their view of themselves?

2. "The thing about new things is you feel new when you buy them, you feel as though you are somebody different because you own something different. We are our possessions, you know." What is your response to this statement? Considering Jesus' words from the Sermon on the Mount, what would Jesus' response be to us regarding this type of mindset?

3. Near the end of the chapter, Miller shares a conversation he had with his pastor about tithing. Miller's pastor, Rick, says that tithing is an act of obedience to God and an act of trusting God. He says that tithing is also a way of being accountable for how much money you have. Share your thoughts on Rick's description of tithing. Is there anything you would add to it?

4. Related to the last question, what is the greatest challenge to developing the habit of tithing? How can we develop a mindset of giving?

Share your thoughts on these questions or any other issues in the chapter. God bless!