2. What we serve shows who or what we value.
There’s an episode of The Office where one manager (played by Steve Carell) is on his way out of the company, and another (played by Will Farrell) is being brought in to replace him. There’s a little bit of an overlap in time where both managers are simultaneously running the office, and it’s not exactly clear who is actually in charge. At first things are going well and both are trying to be nice to the other, but when the new manager wants to change the way the secretary answers the phone, a bit of a power struggle begins.
The conversation goes something like this:
“Erin, why do you say your name when you answer the phone? Why not just ‘Dunder Mifflin, how may I assist you?’”
“That’s the way Pam – our last receptionist – always did it, she’s kind of a legend around here.”
“Well, why not just try it without saying your name. I think it’s a little more professional.”
At this point the old manager walks up and says, “I don’t know. I kind of like her saying her name. It’s more personal.”
The new manger replies, “Oh, sure. Well that’s fine. I mean . . . whatever,” trying not to be too pushy.
Then, they both start arguing for their own way.
“Well, it’s not a big deal, so I think I’d like to change it,” says the new manager.
“Yeah, it’s not a big deal, so you can just do it the old way, or whatever you think you’d like to do,” the old manager replies.
While this conversation is taking place, the phone rings. The secretary is slow to answer because she doesn’t know what to say when she picks up the phone. She feels awkward because she doesn’t know which of the managers to obey. It keeps ringing, and both managers stare at her.
Finally she picks up the phone with both managers at her desk nodding their heads as if to say “Answer the way I told you.” She holds the phone silently against her ear for a minute. It’s tense with both managers waiting and watching and the customer on the other end of the line hearing nothing but silence. Finally, the receptionist knows she has to say something and whispers to the caller, “I’m so sorry,” and then hangs up. Both managers look at each other as if to say, “That was your fault!”
When two bosses want you to do two different things, you can obey only one of them. Recognising this, Jesus tells us we must choose to serve either God or money. "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth" (Matthew 6:24).
It is impossible for us to serve money – even in a small way – and still serve the Lord.
3. Much of life revolves around the use of money.
Jesus talked a lot about money because He knew so much of our lives would revolve around its use. Fortunately, He has prepared us for this reality by giving us the Bible to help us make wise decisions.
After studying the 2,350 verses in the Bible about money, we realise something amazing. These verses tell us that we have some responsibilities, and God has others. Simply put: God has a part, and we have a part. We’re partners!
Much of the frustration we feel in handling money is because we don’t know which responsibilities are ours and which are not. In this study you will discover which responsibilities are yours so you can let go of the ones that are not. You’re going to learn some great stuff about God and money that will help you the rest of your life!