Dollars & Sense - Part 1 [Notes]

Money touches almost every part of our lives—and for many of us, it’s a source of stress, guilt, or fear. Whether it’s debt, past mistakes, or pressure to keep up, the world’s way of handling money isn’t really working. We’re diving into Dollars & Sense, a four-week series on how to view and use money God’s way. This isn’t about getting something from you—it’s about giving you peace, freedom, and joy in an area of life that so often brings stress. We’ll explore big questions: Are we owners or stewards? What does it really mean to give? How can we live within our means? And ultimately, can we trust God with our finances like we trust Him with our eternity?
Takeaway: Owners or Stewards? How we view money shapes how we use it.
Dollars & Sense
Week 1: Owners or Stewards
Week 2: Give
Week 3: Live
Week 4: Trust
“I want to express my gratitude to Art Rooney, Omar Khan, Dan Rooney and the entire Steelers organization for the trust they have placed in me to represent one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. I understand - and embrace - the responsibility, the privilege and the weight that comes with this stewardship.”
– Steelers Head Coach, Mike McCarthy
Stewardship: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Owners or Stewards? How we view money shapes how we use it.
Owners or Stewards? How we view money shapes how we use it.
  1. God is Creator 
 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
– Genesis 1:1 (CSB)
Then God said…” – Genesis 1:3, 1:6, 1:9, 1:14, 1:20, 1:24, 1:26
God is the Creator of heaven and earth. He does not just modify preexisting matter but calls matter into being out of nothing (ex nihilo). –Dr. Robert Bergen
– Luke 22:39-42 (CSB) 
According to John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-16, and Hebrews 1:1-3, all creation came into existence through God the Son, Jesus.
But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”
– Acts 3:6 (CSB) 
A river went out from Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became the source of four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. Gold from that land is pure; bdellium and onyx are also there. The name of the second river is Gihon, which flows through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris, which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
– Genesis 2:10-14 (CSB)
Owners or Stewards? How we view money shapes how we use it.
  1. God is Creator 
  2. God is Owner 
The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord; for He laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers.
– Psalm 24:1-2 (CSB)
The heavens are Yours; the earth also is Yours. The world and everything in it – You founded them.
– Psalm 89:11 (CSB) 
“My God Is So Big”
  • My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, 
there’s nothing my God cannot do.
  • The mountains are His, the valleys are His,
the stars are His handiwork too.
  • My God is so big, so strong and so mighty,
there’s nothing my God cannot do, for you.
Owners or Stewards? How we view money shapes how we use it.
  1. God is Creator 
  2. God is Owner 
  3. We are Stewards
Stewardship: responsibility to manage all the resources of life for the glory of God, acknowledging God as provider.
Holman Bible Dictionary
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.
– Genesis 1:26-31 (CSB) 
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”
– Genesis 1:28 (CSB) 
The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.
– Genesis 1:28 (CSB) 
The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.
– Genesis 2:15 (CSB) 
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”
– Genesis 1:28 (CSB)
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”
– Genesis 1:28 (CSB)
The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.
– Genesis 2:15 (CSB)
The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.
– Genesis 2:15 (CSB)
“Stewardship means recognizing that nothing we have really belongs to us. Everything we own belongs to God. We are simply the stewards of His wealth, His gifts, His opportunities, His houses, His cars, and His computers. Stewardship poses hard questions … about our hearts.”
– Adele Calhoun
Owners or Stewards? How we view money shapes how we use it.
Heavenly Father, please help me see my money as Your money. I acknowledge that You are the Owner, and I need Your help to be a faithful steward.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.

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