Most youth spend money every day-for lunch at school, songs for an iPod, text messaging fees-but they do not often discuss how their faith connects to those purchases. Jesus didn't give his disciples instructions about which brands to buy, but Jesus did talk about a way to approach wealth and the danger of worrying too much about money. Christians seek to be faithful and responsible with the resources given to them by God. This study helps participants connect faith priorities with financial priorities by discussing the benefits of thoughtful budgeting.
For many people, adults or youth, money can be scary or overwhelming. For different reasons, some of us just feel uncomfortable talking about money. One of the important aspects of this study is the opportunity to discuss openly and honestly how people approach money. In groups, youth will work to determine the average annual spending of U.S. households. Overall, we can consider this lesson an extension of Jesus' words in Matthew 6. As we seek to serve God faithfully we come to questions of how to treat money and possessions.