Managing Your Money – Teen Tuesday

Have you ever saved any money in a piggy bank at home or a savings account at a bank? Maybe your parents give you an allowance. Maybe you sell crafts or jewelry you’ve made. Maybe you even get birthday or Christmas money from your grandparents… Sweet!

Where’s Your Heart?

There are a lot of ways you can earn money. Jesus wants us to focus our hearts on heaven, not on earth, where our worldly treasures are. He wants us to know that everything we have on earth will one day be gone, and those earthly things cannot do anything for us in eternity, in heaven. The truth is, we won’t even need those earthly treasures in heaven!

Jesus gives us a principle to live by in Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In other words, if your treasure is in heaven, that’s where your heart will be!

Just a note: It’s not wrong to make or have money. In fact, there are many commands in the Bible that tell us to work hard, take care of our family’s needs, earn money, use it wisely, and give to the poor. But we are definitely not to love money.

Where to Spend & Save

Whatever money you have, you are responsible for its use. You have decisions to make about what to do with your money. The Bible says, you need to…

• Manage it—know where your money comes from and where it goes.
• Give some of it at church.
• Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open to good causes and to people in need.
• Save some of it.
• Spend some of it—for gifts, for something special you’ve saved up for.
• Include your parents in your plans and decisions. They have years of wisdom and experience in managing money. They have probably even learned a few things the hard way and will be happy to guide and guard you.

In your heart, focus instead on what you already have. Give thanks from your heart to God for how He has blessed you. Pray from your heart each day—and often through the day—for your challenges and for others. And open your heart as you live in a world where most people have less than you have.

RESPOND

Jesus, thank You for teaching me that what money I have, I must take care of and use carefully. Help me to think—and pray—before I spend. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES

Living Your Faith(NEW RELEASE!) will help your tween daughter, age 8-12, understand what God’s Word is saying and how it applies to everyday life.

REFLECT

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Do I pray about saving and spending in a wise way?

REMEMBER

If your treasure is in heaven, that’s where your heart will be!

Read Managing Your Money – Teen Tuesday on Elizabeth & Jim George.