TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 34:1-14
The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God... forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. - Exodus 34:6-7
TODAY IN THE WORD
Yesterday we left Moses and the children of Israel in a familiar position: the people were far from God in sin and rebellion, and Moses was talking with God in intimate fellowship. Given the fact that the Israelites had twice angered God to the point that He announced His intention to destroy them, Moses had become much more than Israel's designated leader. He was their defense attorney, bridging the gap between the people and God. In this, Moses served as a type or symbol of Jesus Christ, ""who speaks to the Father in our defense"" (1 John 2:1).

God relented and forgave the nation once more after the sin of the golden calf, and now it was time to give them His law. Since Moses had smashed the original tablets of the law in anger (Ex. 32:19), God instructed him to chisel out a new set in preparation for another trip to Mount Sinai.

An incredible scene unfolded when Moses met with God alone on top of the mountain. The Lord came down in a cloud of glory and proclaimed His love, faithfulness, holiness, and justice. The list of His characteristics (vv. 6-7) is worth a separate study in itself.

We should keep in mind that the Israelites didn't deserve God's compassion or grace. The Lord acted out of His own perfect and loving character to forgive and restore, and to renew His covenant with a people who deserved the nickname ""stiff-necked"" (v. 9).

Moses may have been God's close confidant, but he did not take his relationship with God for granted. He bowed in worship, and offered a marvelous prayer of confession on behalf of his people (vv. 8-9). In response, God declared that He would do wonders never before seen on earth.

Once again God stated His requirement for the covenant blessings to be realized: ""Obey what I command you today"" (v. 11). He specifically warned Israel against the danger of allowing the pagan nations in Canaan to ensnare the people of God in their immoral worship.

Sadly, this was a sin the Israelites would succumb to time and again in the years ahead. They misused the opportunity God gave them to leave their rebellion and follow Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
A second set of tablets. A restatement and renewal of the covenant. God is certainly the God of the second chance.

In fact, there is nothing to indicate that God's forgiveness ends after the second failure. Satan often uses guilt over forgiven sin to confound us. When this happens, we need to declare our freedom from the past. If this is your situation today, thank the Lord that ""the old has gone"" (2 Cor. 5:17), and move on. And if you know someone who needs this message, share it!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 35:1-22; 36:6-7
Everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the Lord. - Exodus 35:21
TODAY IN THE WORD
According to a report last year in The Baptist Standard, the giving of Protestants to their churches and other charities declined twenty-one percent from 1968 to 1995. The data before that wasn't anything to brag about either--3.11 percent. In 1995, the average giving as a percentage of income was just 2.46 percent. The article was entitled, appropriately enough, ""God gets smaller slice of American pie.""

The Israelites were a disobedient crowd on the whole, but they knew how to give. When Moses assembled the nation to announce preparations for the construction of the tabernacle, the people responded with willing hands and generous spirits.

The first thing Moses did was restate the importance of keeping the Sabbath. God had designated the Sabbath as a sign of His covenant and His unique relationship with Israel (Ex. 31:16-17). Since the Israelites had shown a definite tendency to disobey, God wanted to ensure that in their zeal to build the tabernacle the people did not violate His commands.

The people's giving began with their possessions, but it didn't end there. Along with the gold, silver, yarn, animal skins, olive oil, and other items needed for the tabernacle, Moses also called on skilled workers to come forward from the assembly and dedicate their talents to God's service.

The response to Moses' call for an offering was a high point in Israel's obedience. Men and women came from all over the camp to bring their offerings to the Lord. Perhaps the shower of gifts was in response to the great forgiveness and mercy God was giving to His people.

Moses later sent word throughout the congregation that the ""Tabernacle Capital Campaign"" had been a roaring success. More than enough was received to make the portable tent of worship that would become the house of God on earth for many years to come, while Israel trudged through the desert.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In June we will explore what God's Word has to say about stewardship--the way we handle our time, our finances, our gifts and abilities, and other resources God has entrusted to us.

Since these studies begin the day after tomorrow, we'd like to suggest a way you can prepare your heart for what God wants to teach you. Begin praying that God will help you hold the things you have in an open hand. Paul asks us the question, ""What do you have that you did not receive?"" (1 Cor. 4:7). The answer: ""nothing."" And yet, God has graciously given us ""all things"" in Christ (Rom. 8:32). Keep these two principles in mind, and you'll have a great handle on biblical stewardship.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 40:1-7, 34-38
Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. - Psalm 25:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
There's something powerful about a memorial. The sight of a small flag waving from a white stone cross, or the figure of a soldier standing guard at the entrance to a harbor, can move us without words.

Memorial Day is set aside for remembering. To forget the service offered by others for our benefit is the first step toward neglecting, and then dismissing, these sacrifices.

Memorials are important to God, too. The tabernacle He commanded Moses to build in the wilderness at Mount Sinai was a memorial of sorts. It was a visible reminder of God's presence among His people. The tabernacle even became the location for the cloud and fire of God's glory that led the people on each portion of their journey.

The final chapter in Exodus records the great occasion when the tabernacle was finished and ready to be consecrated to God's service. The main part of the tent was the small inner room where the ark of the covenant was placed. It was hidden behind the curtain separating this cubicle from the rest of the tabernacle.

The other furnishings for the offering of sacrifices were also brought, and the ceremonial cleansing of the priests was performed as Moses directed. The tabernacle was set up in the very center of the Israelite camp, a clear object lesson to the people of how God was to have the central place in their national and individual lives.

There was one particular item we should notice today, even though it is not included in our reading. The robe made for Aaron to wear as the high priest, called the ephod, included shoulder pieces decorated with twelve onyx stones. Each stone was engraved with one of the names of Israel's twelve tribes (Ex. 39:1-7). These stones were called ""memorial stones,"" because they symbolized the way in which Aaron would carry the people on his heart as he went before the Lord to perform his service.

This is a wonderful picture of God's care for His own. As we conclude our study of Exodus and the leadership of Moses, we need to fix some ""memorial stones"" in our minds by remembering the way God has saved us and blessed us with every blessing.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today we are privileged to join you in remembering those who have sacrificed everything to give us so much.

As we thank the Lord for the sacrifices made, we ask you to pray for each member of the Today family who has served in the armed forces, or who has lost a loved one in war. Let's also ask God to be gracious in remembering us forever, since we and our nation are in great need of His mercy, love, and forgiveness.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 18:31-34
Who would have believed what we just heard? - Isaiah 53:1 (net)
TODAY IN THE WORD
Lawyers intending to be overly clear and precise often write with a wordy, cumbersome style that confuses almost everyone. Aside from Latin phrases (habeas corpus) and archaic words (hence to and forthwith), common words like party, consideration, and action take on entirely different meanings in law. Unless you're part of the legal world, you can't understand “legalese.”

Jesus wasn't speaking a foreign language to His disciples, nor was He using words beyond their grasp. His statement in verses 31-33 in today's reading might seem straightforward and simple to us. But for His twelve closest disciples, the notion of Jesus being tortured, killed, and resurrected might as well have been astrophysics.

We already know about the Crucifixion because it happened. Believers know the beautiful power of Christ's sacrifice, thanks to the Word of God and its deep doctrinal content. But the disciples had a limited perspective. They knew Jesus as their beloved, wise, and powerful teacher. They had seen Him raise people from the dead. They knew Him as the Anointed One, the Christ. The prospect of His humiliating death just didn't compute with what they knew.

But the Crucifixion wasn't altogether unforeseen; it was a fulfillment of prophecy. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 provide graphic descriptions of rejection and torment that we now know describe the Messiah. Given His understanding of Scripture, Jesus would have known that the suffering described there would be His. Yet He heroically proceeded to Jerusalem, where His garments would be divided (Ps. 22:18) and He would be pierced and crushed (Isa. 53:5).

As for the disciples, they simply couldn't believe it. While Jesus claimed that “all” that was prophesied would be fulfilled (v. 31), the Twelve understood “none” of it (v. 34). Judging by their reactions at the Crucifixion, they weren't able to handle the truth. What strength Jesus displayed by continuing toward Jerusalem!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God's plan won't always make logical sense to us. Like the disciples, we may have trouble believing that God would plan for events that seem like failures. Maybe a ministry you've enjoyed is coming to an end or you've suffered the loss of a loved one. From disappointments to tragedies, God's will for defeating sin and glorifying Himself often involves inevitable pain and trials. Don't lose heart. If Jesus could surrender His life, we should be willing to surrender our dreams.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 5:8-17; Romans 13:811-14
Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. - Ephesians 5:15-16
TODAY IN THE WORD
The late missionary and author Ruth Paxson has some good advice today as we begin a new month and a challenging new series of studies. According to Paxson, fixing our minds on Christ means, ""Before you go to the kitchen or the office, when you first wake up in the morning, your mind goes to Him. Even while you are dressing, your mind can go to Him. Then you can sit down and have some time over the Book and in prayer with your mind fixed on Him.""

When you do this, Paxson goes on to say, ""You go to your duties with a quiet, restful mind, an accurate assured mind, so that you do your work the way it ought to be done."" Setting your mind on the Lord, and spending time in ""the Book"" and in prayer, is a great way to begin any day.

Paxson's advice is especially relevant for this month, because we're going to talk about how we do our work--and how we use our time, our spiritual gifts, our abilities, and our money. The topic for this first month of summer is Christian stewardship, which refers to the way we manage the blessings God has entrusted to us.

But before we delve into the subject, it's important to lay some biblical groundwork. Ruth Paxson talked about the importance, and the benefits, of starting the day with our minds set on Christ. The apostle Paul puts it even more directly: ""Wake up, O sleeper.""

Both of today's Bible passages help us understand what it means to make the most of our lives and the blessings we have in Jesus Christ. Notice that in each case Paul contrasts the way children of the darkness live with the way we should live as ""children of light"" (Eph. 5:.

In reading this passage, we are reminded that it would be incredibly bad stewardship for us to waste our time, money, and energy practicing ""the fruitless deeds of darkness"" (Eph. 5:11) from which God saved us.

Instead, Paul urges us to live in the light of God's power and will for us. Paul wants us to understand the urgency of the present time, and ""clothe [our]selves"" with Christ (Rom. 13:14) so that we will be able to use every opportunity God gives us to serve Him and point others toward Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
These are busy times, and for most of us life revolves around the clock, our daily planners, and our checkbooks.

There's nothing wrong with using these and other tools to help make our days productive. These kinds of things make good servants, but lousy masters. Why not begin your month, and your summer, by praying that God will help you avoid the temptation to allow His gifts of time, talents, and treasures to usurp His lordship in your life?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Corinthians 4:1-7
What do you have that you did not receive? - 1 Corinthians 4:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
According to Dr. Joseph Stowell, Moody Bible Institute president, ""If we believe that all we have is given to us by God, we need to begin giving it back to Him as a gift of love.""

Dr. Stowell has identified a principle that underlies everything the Bible teaches about stewardship. God not only owns ""the cattle on a thousand hills"" (Ps. 50:10), He owns everything. Even the next breath in our lungs is a gift from Him (Job 12:10).

God's ownership of everything has a direct bearing on the way we should manage our lives. He has every right to set the rules about how we use His gifts. Paul viewed his ministry as something with which he was ""entrusted"" by God (1 Cor. 4:1).

""Entrusted"" is the key word. Various forms of this word are translated ""steward"" or ""stewardship"" in some versions of the Bible.

Whatever the term, the idea is the same. A trust is a responsibility given to someone to manage. The one giving out the responsibility, of course, is the owner, and the manager or steward is accountable to the owner for the management of the trust's assets.

This is an important principle for us to understand, because we are managers of the resources God has entrusted to us. After saying that his ministry was a trust from God, Paul made another very important statement about stewardship: ""It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful"" (v. 2).

Faithful to whom? To the owner of the trust. In Paul's case, his responsibility to God meant that the opinions of others were secondary. The prideful Corinthians were quick to judge others and divide into factions over their favorite preacher (see 1:12). But all that made little impression on Paul. He knew that only God could discern a person's motives.

The pride of the Corinthians is obvious from the way Paul asked the question in today's verse (v.7). They bragged that the spiritual gifts and other blessings they enjoyed were the result of their own skills and hard work, rather than a gift from God. For a steward, that's a devastating mistake.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Most people would be especially careful with an expensive piece of equipment that was borrowed from the owner and had to be returned in the same condition.

The fact is, this is the way God wants us to treat the resources He has given us. And since it all belongs to Him anyway, we don't need to hang on tight to our time or money or anything else when God asks us to give part of it to Him. Today, ask yourself whether you're living like the owner or like a manager.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 13:8-10
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another. - Romans 13:8
TODAY IN THE WORD
Nineteenth-century English pastor Joseph Parker wrote concerning today's passage, ""Owe no man anything but love. Love is a debt you can never discharge. When you have paid it, you have only acknowledged it; when you have strained yourself to love some other humans, you have only begun to realize the meaning of the divine sovereignty.""

We're hearing a great deal about the problem of debt these days, and we'll study it this month from a biblical perspective (see the June 12 study). Love is the only debt we will never fully pay; it's a ""continuing"" debt for those who know Jesus Christ. Because of what He has done for us, showing love to God and others is one debt we'll always carry on our books.

Because Paul's focus in Romans 13 is on our relationship with other people, he isolated the second half of Jesus' statement, which reminds us that love is our true responsibility and fulfillment of the Mosaic law. When you love someone as yourself, it naturally follows that you won't inflict harm on that person.

Paul called love a debt because ""love comes from God"" (1 Jn. 4:7). He poured out His love on us when He sent His Son to die in our place on the cross.

There is no way we could adequately repay the sacrifice Christ made. All we can do is receive God's love, thank Him for it, and live for Him. In fact, even our ability to love God and other people is possible only because God ""first loved us"" (1 Jn. 4:19).

Paul was specific that we are to ""love one another."" This certainly does not exclude unbelievers, but ""one another"" refers to the Church. We have a special obligation to take care of fellow members in the body of Christ.

This truth has some definite implications for our stewardship. We usually think of helping others in terms of money first, but money is only one part of the trust God has given us. Another believer may need some of our time. Or, we may find that our particular spiritual gift is needed to help a fellow Christian.

Whatever the need may be, we have all the ""capital"" to meet it in love because God has filled our hearts with His love.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Here are two ways you can put the truth of today's lesson into practice.

First, recall a time when another Christian ministered to you in a time of need--and pause to thank God for this expression of love. Second, pass the blessing on to someone else. We suggest you ask your pastor or other leader at church if there are any special needs in the congregation you can help with.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 90:1-17
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. - Psalm 90:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
The world is marching toward the year 2000 with a schizophrenic outlook. We are bombarded by all possible scenarios for disaster that the Year 2000 computer problem could bring. But even as millions of people make preparations for the unknown, entertainment providers such as travel companies, resorts, hotels, and cruise lines have made elaborate plans for what is being billed as the biggest party of all time on December 31, 1999. One company is offering the ""Ultimate Trip"": an around-the-world flight on the supersonic Concorde for only $75ꯠ per person. There are ninety-six seats available.

It's safe to assume this is not what Moses had in mind when he told us to number our days. People who want to make their days count for the Lord don't take their cues from the world or the calendar, but from Him. That's where Moses turned his attention.

We can't really understand how to use our days wisely until we see life from God's perspective. The contrast between God's eternal existence and the transitory nature of human life is not meant to discourage us, but to remind us that our times are in God's hands. He determined the length of our lives even before we were born (Ps. 139:16).

With that reality before us, the smartest move we can make is to plan out our time with God and His purposes in mind. Moses also reminds us that we are sinful creatures whose ""secret sins"" (v. are an open book to God. We not only need His wisdom and strength, but we also need His grace that forgives our sins and turns His anger away from us.

Most people don't think of time itself as a stewardship or a trust from God. But Moses understood that concept well. It's interesting that even though he speaks of life in terms of years, his prayer is that he might make his days count for God.

The reason for our hope and joy is found in verse 14. The Lord's ""unfailing love"" is what brings us joy and satisfaction and enables us to stand before Him. This is God's ""loyal love,"" a tremendous Old Testament term that was used of God's covenant love for His people--a love He has sworn never to take back.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As people living in the '90s, we often try to apply a passage like Psalm 90:12 by filling our schedule with as many good activities as we can handle.

However, simply doing more shouldn't be our main concern. For some of us, numbering our days the right way may mean cutting back on our busyness so that we can have more time to invest in our relationship with God, our families, and other people. Does your schedule for the weekend, and next week, include these priorities?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: James 4:13-17
If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that. - James 4:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
Several recent studies indicate that on the whole, Americans are not very good at handling leisure time. People feel they have less free time today than they had in years past. But one study says we actually have six more hours of free time per week than Americans had in 1965. The people in one survey spent an average of fifteen to twenty hours a week watching TV, yet some of those same people told researchers they had no leisure time!

One Bible teacher summed up our modern time problem this way: ""We worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship."" That's probably right on target, which raises the question of how this kind of problem can develop. One answer is that our view of time gets skewed when we lose God's view of the time He has entrusted us with.

Of all the good things God has given us to use and enjoy as His ""stewards,"" time is the only gift we all have in equal amounts. Even the experts can't get more than twenty-four hours out of a day. So if we can learn to look at our days and say, ""If it is the Lord's will,"" we'll have the best time management tool in the world at our fingertips.

It's interesting that the Bible doesn't give us a grocery list of specific time-management tips. God is not against planning; He just doesn't want us to plan with the kind of arrogance that leaves Him out of the picture. James 4 is a healthy reminder that our lives are a blip on the screen of eternity.

God doesn't share this information with us to discourage us or to make us uptight--exactly the opposite. Once we understand that our time is a gift from God, and that He is intensely interested in the way we manage it, we can be liberated from the kind of self-confident bragging about life that James condemns.

Leaving God out of our planning is a sin, and invites His judgment. But the upside of this is the exciting truth that God has a ""good, pleasing and perfect will"" for us (Rom. 12:2) and He wants to reveal it to us.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As we said yesterday, being a good manager of time doesn't necessarily mean being more efficient or getting more done.

God wants us to see the big picture first, so that we approach our time from a biblical framework. With that in mind, why not take time this weekend to jot down three or four things you hope to accomplish this summer? Then turn your list into a prayer by adding the biblical formula, ""If it is the Lord's will, I will ______."" This is one way to get God's perspective on your plans.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 25:14-30
Well done, good and faithful servant!... Come and share your master's happiness! - Matthew 25:21
TODAY IN THE WORD
You have probably heard a pastor or Bible teacher point out that Jesus had a great deal to say about money in the Gospels. It's true. Money and the way we are supposed to use it was one of Jesus' favorite subjects, because the way we manage our money is a good indicator of our spiritual health.

Jesus often used parables to communicate His message, and today we are dealing with one of them. In this great story Jesus used money to teach the truth that responsibility and reward in His kingdom will be based on how well we manage the resources He has entrusted to us on earth.

The context of the parable is important. When Jesus said, ""It will be like"" (v. 14), He was referring to the ""kingdom of heaven"" (v. 1). The talents mentioned here were amounts of money, not personal abilities. The word translated ""money"" (v. 18) is literally ""silver,"" or ""silver coin.""

The fact that the master gave his three servants various amounts of his property simply reinforces what we already know to be true: God chooses to give His people different degrees of responsibility. Comparing each other's amounts of responsibility shouldn't be our concern. The issue is whether we are faithful with what God gives us.

It's interesting that Jesus said the first servant put his master's money to work ""at once"" (v. 16). He didn't wait for the master to leave before he began using his talents profitably. Conversely, the fearful servant wasn't willing to take any risks, so he played it safe and drew the master's wrath.

The story is straightforward. In fact, we do better when we don't try to make every detail of the parable carry some hidden meaning. Let's make two observations that can encourage us as we manage God's resources today.

First, and most obvious, is the fact that the master held the servants responsible for their work. Accountability is a sobering truth, but it also tells us that what we do matters. There's nothing worse than feeling that what we do is useless.

Second, this parable of the kingdom teaches us that our faithfulness has eternal value to God. Paul says anything done for Christ's glory will win His reward (1 Cor. 3:10-15). Accor-ding to Jesus, this reward includes sharing His joy.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Jesus' parable exposes the false idea some people have that if they only had more money to work with, they could give God His share and be better stewards.

But we know life doesn't work like that, even on the human level. The person who can't handle $10 will have the same problem with $10ꯠ. How about you? This would be a good day to check your management of God's resources, and see if you are being faithful with what He has given you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 16:1-13
No servant can serve two masters. - Luke 16:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
Author and Bible teacher Tony Evans made this intriguing observation about Christian stewardship: ""If you loaned someone the keys to your car, and he didn't bring your car back, you're not likely to loan him the keys to your house.""

That's an on-target summary of a principle Jesus taught in another of His well-known parables on what it means to be God's manager. A person who can't be trusted with a little is not a candidate for more.

The manager in the story was dishonest, but at least he was shrewd in the way he used his master's wealth to make friends for himself after getting fired. That's why the master congratulated his crooked employee.

Jesus' advice about gaining friends with our money is a clear reference to the eternal impact we can have by using our resources for His kingdom (a principle we learned yesterday). The contrast between little and much is not referring to how much money may be entrusted to us, but a contrast between earthly and spiritual wealth. That's obvious from verse 11, in which Jesus sets ""worldly wealth"" against the ""true riches,"" which are clearly of a spiritual nature.

Again, the spiritual and eternal focus of the parable is evident in verse 12. In this life, we Christians don't really have any property of our own. It all belongs to the Lord. It's in the eternal kingdom that we can look forward to having ""property of [our] own,"" corresponding to the reward Jesus promised to His faithful servants (Matt. 25:21, 23).

The Lord ended the parable by focusing on the real issue--namely, who or what we choose to serve. The choice is simple: we can serve eitherGod or money.

This is where Christian stewardship parts company with mere financial management. It's possible to do very well for yourself in this life and still wind up as a slave to the wrong master.

But if your heart's desire and commitment is to love and serve God, it doesn't really matter whether He gives you a little or a lot to manage. Whatever you're been entrusted with, if you have the right heart attitude you'll use these blessings to ""win friends and influence people"" for Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We keep coming back to the fact that everything belongs to God.

This is a reassuring truth. As Tony Evans points out, if you have turned everything over to God and He is the owner, when things go wrong it's the owner's responsibility to fix it. Or when we run out of things, the owner renews the supply. As we commit to His kingdom and His righteousness, God has promised to meet our needs, not necessarily our wants (Matt. 6:33). Are you holding on tightly to your checkbook or some other treasured possession? Let go of it and give it to God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Timothy 6:6-12
If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. - 1 Timothy 6:8
TODAY IN THE WORD
The magazine Campus Journal reported on a recent survey that asked people to name the salary they thought they would need to achieve that elusive standard of happiness known as ""the American dream.""

The results were interesting because the study had segmented the people based on their actual incomes. Two examples tell the story. People who earn about $25ꯠ a year estimated they would need about $54ꯠ to be happy. And on average, people in the $100ꯠ income range said it would take about $192ꯠ to reach the stated goal of the study.

Do the math and you'll see that most of the people surveyed said it would take about twice their current income to make them happy. What we don't know is whether these people, and others like them, actually live as if they're only halfway content.

Judging by some of the unwise and spiritually harmful things some people do to acquire more money, the answer to that question has to be yes. Many people live with a mindset of discontent.

The first sentence of today's reading is the biblical alternative to this mindset. Paul says contentment is worth a great deal when it enables us to pursue God's real goal for us--""godliness,"" becoming like Him.

To some people, discussing money and godliness on the same page may seem like trying to go in two different directions at once. That's because of a common misinterpreting of verse 10 by saying the love of money is the root of all evil. Some people even shorten that to: ""Money is the root of all evil.""

That's not what Paul was saying. A desire for money that's so consuming it turns us away from God is a source of many evils, but not all.

Thank goodness for that, because the dangers that the love of money brings are bad enough. They include ""many foolish and harmful desires"" that bring ""ruin and destruction"" (v. 9). No need to ask Paul what he really thought about the problem!

What a refreshing break we have in verse 11. If we want to become men and women of God, we need to put sin behind us and pursue the valuable virtues Paul lists there.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Here's a test to measure your CQ (contentment quotient).

Write the three or four material possessions you consider most valuable. Then ask yourself some questions in relation to these items. If you lost them, would you no longer be content? Could you serve God just as well without them? Would you still be a giver instead of a taker? And finally, would the loss of these things in any way dull your desire to pursue those qualities that please God?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Ephesians 4:28
The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. - 1 Samuel 2:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
A store in an affluent beach community in Florida recently offered its upscale customers a new kind of gift wrapping paper: uncut sheets of $2 bills. The sheets contain thirty-two bills each, and are big enough to wrap a gift about the size of a shirt box. The cost for this gift wrap greenery is $110 per sheet.

Stories such as this may give a newscaster an offbeat way to end a broadcast, but the mindset that's behind this kind of excess isn't a laughing matter. It flies in the face of the attitude God's Word commands us to take toward our financial resources.

Here's one problem with using our money and other possessions for silly excess. It helps breed--or maybe just reveals--an attitude of arrogant self-sufficiency that God rejects. The Word forbids this attitude, in fact (v. 17).

Another problem with letting our attitudes get out of hand is that we are tempted to replace trust in God with trust in our bank accounts. That's bad for two reasons. First, it's idolatry to put anything in God's place. Second, placing our trust in material wealth is like trying to grab a fistful of sand. In a great understatement, Paul says wealth is ""very uncertain.""

But the Bible doesn't just give us the negative side. The cure for greed and misplaced trust in money is ""to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share"" (v. 18).

By doing these acts of Christian mercy and service, Paul says we will ""lay up treasure for [our]selves"" (v. 19). He could have said ""treasure in heaven,"" because the apostle's instruction here echoes the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21 (see the June 19 study).

Paul's reference to the ""coming age"" is another example of how often the Bible ties our attitude toward money to the kingdom of God and eternity. Financial counselors often advise their clients to invest for the ""long haul."" Paul would certainly agree with that! You can't take a longer view than to use your resources to store up for yourself eternal wealth.

There's another benefit for the God-honoring use of our money. Good stewardship helps us take hold of real life. That is, managing our assets with God's kingdom in mind helps us enjoy now the eternal life God has given us (v. 19).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
A generous, sharing spirit is a good antidote against developing a bad case of greed--the ""gimmes.""

All of us need to learn how to give, children included. This summer is a good time to help the child in your life put together some baskets or bags of personal items and/or food to take to the local homeless shelter, crisis pregnancy center, or other ministry to hurting people. You might also suggest the project to your Sunday school class or Bible study group.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income. - 1 Corinthians 16:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
Here's a brief test that can help you determine your attitude toward giving to God and His work. Do you view giving as giving up what is really yours to someone else? Or, do you take the attitude that giving is giving back to God that which is really His and is only on loan to you for a short time?

You probably don't need any help to figure out which of these attitudes reflects the biblical view of our financial stewardship. Today and tomorrow we will discuss two of the most important, encouraging passages in the Bible concerning the value and blessing of biblical giving.

Today's reading is compelling because it was written in the midst of a real-life crisis that called for a gracious response on the part of God's people. Paul was taking up a collection from the churches for poor believers in Jerusalem who had been greatly affected by a famine. Many of them had also been ostracized from the Jewish community and had suffered real loss.

That's why Paul urged the Corinthians to do their part in the offering. And in the process, he gave us timeless principles that God designed to guide our giving today.

One key principle is that giving is a ministry of grace (vv. 1, 7, 9). That's as it should be, since we live under grace and not under law. The church is not the government. We don't get a bill in the mail telling us how much we owe God's work on the basis of our income. God wants us to give willingly, from our hearts.

Another trait of biblical giving is modeled by the Macedonians--who, by the way, were poverty-stricken themselves. These believers ""gave themselves first to the Lord"" (v. 5). If God doesn't have us, He doesn't want our money. And if He does have us, giving should be no problem.

The ultimate example we should follow, of course, is the Lord Jesus, who traded the unimaginable riches of heaven for the poverty of a servant's life (v. 9, cf. Phil. 2:6-8). And He did it so that we who were spiritually bankrupt could become heirs with Him to heaven's riches!

We also learn that giving meets real needs in the lives of others--material, as in today's reading, as well as spiritual.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The points of today's lesson make a good checklist for evaluating your financial stewardship.

First, your giving is meant to be gracious. That is, it shouldn't feel like a painful obligation to give. God also wants your commitment before He wants your money. And you need to measure your giving against Christ's giving to keep matters in perspective. And finally, there should be joy in the knowledge that you are helping meet other people's spiritual and material needs. How does your giving look against this checklist?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! - 2 Corinthians 9:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
Christian financial advisor Larry Burkett has helped thousands of believers understand God's principles for handling finances and other gifts. Burkett will have valuable counsel for us this month, as he does today when he writes, concerning 2 Corinthians 9:7, ""Don't give until it hurts--give until you have joy and peace in your heart.""

That's biblically sound advice. This great verse on giving is often quoted, but it shines even brighter when set in its context of the real-life situation we described yesterday. In the opening verses of this chapter, Paul told the Corinthians he was sending some of his co-workers to help the Corinthian church get organized and have their contribution for the Jerusalem saints ready when he arrived.

This is one secret to the kind of cheerful giving that God approves. Had the Corinthians not been systematic in their giving (see 1 Cor. 16:2), their gift would have been a last-minute, pressured experience leading to more frustration and ""grudging giving"" rather than cheerful giving.

This provides a good model for us today. Our giving should be planned--not necessarily ""planned giving"" as the term is used today for long-term planning, but a systematic plan that frees us from a haphazard stewardship that does not honor God or bring us joy.

It's also clear that generosity, not a fixed percentage, is the Christian's standard for sharing in the work of God. The principle of sowing and reaping applies here because God has chosen to honor those who honor Him (1 Sam. 2:30).

You may have heard it said that you can't outgive God. That's an old saying, but it's still true. How can we come to any other conclusion after reading the verses of today's passage? God blesses generous, joyful givers so their needs are met and they can enlarge their ministry of giving.

Being faithful to God with our finances also produces several important benefits. It meets real needs, and it generates thanksgiving, praise, and prayer to God (2 Cor. 9:12-14). In other words, when God's people do it God's way, He is glorified and believers grow spiritually. Those are blessings no one else can offer us.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Here is another way we can measure the quality of our service in the area of finances.

The test is whether we are grudging or generous givers. A grudging giver asks questions such as, ""How much do I have to give? How can I know when I've met the requirement?"" But a generous giver wants to know, ""What does the ministry need, and how can I help? Are you sure you have what you need to do the job?"" Where do you fall on the grudging versus generous scale of giving?