Congregation Book Study, Week of February 6-12, 2023, What the Bible Says About Work and Money, Lesson 37 Points 1-5. Answers.

Study of the Book of the congregation, 6-12-February-2023, lesson 37 points 1-5., Answers.

Congregation Bible study (30 min.): lff lesson 37 points 1-5.

1. What does the Bible say about work?

The Bible says that work is very important, but it also says that it will never be more important than Jehovah or our worship of him.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The Bible says that one can enjoy work, so we imitate Jehovah, since he also works very hard. In addition, work can give us happiness, but it also says that we have to have a balanced point of view regarding the position that work occupies in our lives.

Well, the Bible says that it is very important and Jehovah wants us to really enjoy our work and this is made clear in Ecclesiastes 2:24, also when we are workers we are imitating our loving heavenly father.

In addition, John 6:27 shows that if we put Jehovah first, he will take care of giving us what we need. The Bible also says something about work that helps us see it from the correct perspective. This is in Ecclesiastes 2:24 there he says that there is nothing better for man than to enjoy his hard work because by doing so he imitates Jehovah and feels satisfied.

2. What is the balanced view of money?

The Bible recognizes that money is a protection, but also warns that by itself money does not bring happiness in Hebrews 13:5 advises that we must be happy with the things we have and that is the balance point, because if we are happy With what we have and keeping basic needs covered, we save frustration, unnecessary debts and dangers by chasing opportunities to have a lot of money and material possessions or to get rich overnight.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

That even when it is necessary, we should not love money, so we will avoid the danger that this brings, for example, that our life revolves around money in order to obtain more or we fall into vices such as games for money.

Well, the Bible itself tells us that money is protection, but we know well that money cannot give us happiness, that is why we must be happy with what we have, so we will get rid of the frustration of always looking for more and more. , we also save ourselves from having unnecessary debts and avoid the dangers of playing for money.

3. How to use money generously and disinterestedly?

One way to use money generously and selflessly is helping to cover the expenses of the congregation, and also supporting those most in need, especially our Christian brothers.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

1 Timothy 6 18. We are encouraged to do good and get rich but, not in material things, but in good works, we are also encouraged to be generous and willing to share. We can apply this text both within the congregation or outside of it and also with our dear brothers and sisters who need it, since as he mentions at the end of the paragraph, what matters most to Jehovah is not how much we give him, but because we do it. , or so to speak the reasons that move us to be generous.

Following the line of Acts 20:35. He reminds us to work hard and help people or brothers who are weak or, so to speak, who need it the most, and at the end of the text he mentions what the effect would be. Since we do give generously and selflessly, he says we will be happy. Which encourages us to give with open hands, but with the satisfaction of feeling happy and making Jehovah happy.

We use it generously when we support Jehovah's organization, such as covering the expenses of the congregation and helping those who need it most, especially our brothers.

We can use the money in this way if we are willing to share what we have, for example we can use it to help cover the expenses of the congregation and to support those who need it most among our brothers in faith.

 LET'S DEEPER INTO THE SUBJECT

4. Honor Jehovah by being a good worker

VIDEO: Let's Work with All Our Souls for Jehovah (4:39)

What strikes you most about Jason's attitude and behavior at his job?

It is striking how with his good attitude Jason proves to be an excellent worker and with his good behavior an honest worker, he does not accept bribes because he knows that this is corruption and therefore something detestable for Jehovah.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Another thing that stands out is how well trained his conscience is by Biblical principles, such as Colossians 3:23, which has taught him that everything that is done should be done as for Jehovah and not as for men, which also includes work, hence his impeccable behavior and attitude.

And what caught my attention the most is that the worship of Jehovah also influences our daily life, since with his way of acting and his good attitude towards work he was able to attract the attention of other people. And in this way motivate us so that they also become servants of Jehovah.

Well, although others did dishonest things in relation to work, he did not do it, because the relationship he has with God influences every aspect of his life, he really practiced what he believed, because his conduct was very good, since we can even see in the video that picks up trash and others throw it away and puts it in its place.

What did you do to keep the work in its proper place?

Jason applied Biblical principles such as that of Matthew 6:22 which says that if our eyes are well focused our whole body will shine, he knew that it was impossible to focus on two different things at the same time, which is why he chose to focus on doing the will of Jehovah For this, instead of letting himself be distracted by material things, he strove to have a balanced point of view about money and work, he did this by leading a simple life that would also allow him to fulfill his spiritual and family responsibilities.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

As he himself mentions, what he did was lead a simple life, such as avoiding buying everything he wanted or buying on impulse, also keeping in mind that the most important thing in his life was his service to Jehovah and not having more money.

Well, he focused only on the most important thing, since it is impossible to focus on two things at once. So he was focused on doing God's will and therefore he and his family led a simple life.

Read Colossians 3:23, 24 and discuss the following:

Why is it important that we work “with all our souls”?

The soul refers to the entire being with the fullness of physical and mental attitudes, since the soul encompasses the heart, the mind and the strength, Jehovah expects us to work with all our soul, giving our all, in terms of faculties and energy, because with This is not only going to show that we are good workers, but also that our motivation to do it is the love we feel for him. When we do our job with a good attitude, we maintain good conduct and strive to do it in the best way, we honor him. and glory to Jehovah.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Because when we work with all our soul we show that we are Jehovah's servants with all our hearts, in addition to that way Jehovah will feel proud of us and therefore he will bless us.

It is important because if we work with all our souls for Jehovah, we will always do our best no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

5. The advantages of being satisfied with what we have

Many people try to accumulate as much money as they can, but the Bible tells us something very different. Read 1 Timothy 6:6-8 and discuss the following:

What advice does the Bible give us?

The Bible lets us see that there is no advantage in accumulating material things that we will not be able to take with us to the New World. Therefore we must be balanced and be content with having the basic things for life, because our most valuable possession is our friendship with Jehovah.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, it gives us the advice that we should be happy with what we have, since when one dies we cannot take any of the wealth of this world with us, but we can take our history of service to Jehovah.

The Bible advises us to be happy with what we have and with the basics, because the verses read remind us that we brought nothing into the world and we will not take anything with us either.

VIDEO: Let us be "content with present things" (3:20)

Why are these families happy even though they have little money?

They are happy because for them the most important thing in this world is not money, nor the things they can get with it, but their love for Jehovah and their spirituality, for them to have a united family spiritual goals show generosity to others who also have needs economics is a cause of happiness.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Another reason why they are happy even though they have little money is that they do not focus on their financial problems, but on Jehovah, their brothers and his ministry. In the same way, they have learned to be happy with what they have, because although it is not much, they feel rich because they know that Jehovah blesses them as Proverbs 10 22 says.

It is because money is not considered important, nor is it what gives them happiness, what gives them happiness to the family, is that they are always together serving Jehovah.

They are happy because they make sure of the most important things such as spiritual things and their relationship with Jehovah, they also mention that something very important to them is also keeping a family together and happy despite the shortcomings.

Also something very nice that we saw in the video is that, for example, the family from Mexico, despite having very little, they share what little they have with other brothers, because this also makes us very happy. 

What if we have a lot but still want more? Jesus gave an example to explain that this attitude is dangerous. Read Luke 12:15-21 and discuss the following:

What does the comparison Jesus made teach you? (See verse 15.)

It teaches me that I must be careful with greed, be alert and keep my eyes open because I can go from the natural desire to have my basic needs met to develop an insatiable appetite for material things.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Another thing that I learn is that the life of the human being does not result from the material things that he possesses, since only Jehovah is the one who can give us eternal life.

It teaches us that striving to have more money would be an effort in vain since we will always want more and we will not have a limit and also that our eternal life does not depend on how much money we have but on what we do for Jehovah.

It teaches me that I shouldn't make the same mistake as this rich man. And it is that for more material things that we accumulate while we are alive, in the end death will come to us, and we will not take anything with us. On the other hand, if we have put God first in our lives, we will have wonderful hope for the future.

Read Proverbs 10:22 and compare it with 1 Timothy 6:10. Then talk about the following:

What do you think is more important: being friends with Jehovah, or having a lot of money? Because?

The most important thing is to be a friend of Jehovah, because he provides those who faithfully serve him with the necessary strength and resources to face trials and to provide for the family while we treasure spiritual riches thanks to putting the Kingdom first, because it is the blessing of Jehovah that enriches.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Undoubtedly it is more important to be a friend of Jehovah, because money for many brings happiness but it is a vain, fleeting or so to speak momentary happiness. Well, with it it brings many pains like worries in life, but our service to Jehovah is the opposite, it brings us true happiness, since we enjoy what we do and even better in the future we will enjoy great blessings and eternal life.

It is more important to be a friend of Jehovah, because this is what really makes us rich since the love of money can bring us many evils.

Unlike the people of the world, Christians encrypt our happiness and security in money, because we know that these things do not depend on material goods but on Jehovah's blessing.

What are the consequences of obsessing over money?

1 Timothy 6:10, shows that excessive and obsessive love for money is the root of all sorts of harmful things, since this can result in many derailing from faith and being led by greed to commit serious sins.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

By making our life revolve around this, the result will be that we end up neglecting our family, the purpose of wanting more money is endless and that is why we end up disappointed.

Another consequence is that those who are obsessed with money make it the center of their life when the first thing should be Jehovah, this results in us losing half of Jehovah and eternal life.

Well, as Timothy 6:10 says, if we become obsessed with going in search of money, this can cause us to stray from the right path and therefore have many problems.