Obsessed by Wealth

David C Cook COVID-19 Response

High School

Lesson 5
Spring 2021
By: RLD Editorial Team
April 11, 2021

Lesson Focus:

Greed leads to destruction.

Bible Basis:

Micah 1:1-2; 2:2, 8-9; 6:10-12

Materials Needed:

Step 1:

None

Step 4:

Pens/pencils (1 per student)
Pieces of paper (1 per student)
Whiteboard and marker (or screenshared document)

Summary & Links:

Your students will look at the extremely wealthy in order to understand our culture’s obsession with wealth.

Memory Verse:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
—1 Timothy 6:10a

Your students will look at the extremely wealthy in order to understand our culture’s obsession with wealth.

Materials Needed:

None

Upon entering class today, gather your students together and ask them the following question:

Does anyone know who the wealthiest person in the world is? (Allow a few volunteers to share their guesses.)

Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder worth $193.4 billion, is currently the wealthiest person in the world. Elon Musk, worth $171.6 billion is second after him. The average American, on the other hand, makes between $45,000-$55,000 a year.

How does this make you feel? (Allow students to share their thoughts.)
If you really had that kind of money, what would you do with it all? (Answers will vary.)
Why does thinking about having that much money and the things we could buy with it make us so excited? (Be prepared to share your own response to this along with your teens.)
What does our fascination with wealth say about our culture and the things we value? (Allow students to share their thoughts.)

We love money, but there’s a dark side to chasing after it. Today, we’ll see why the Bible says that greed leads to destruction.

Looking for Steps 2 & 3?

You can find Steps 2 and 3 in your teacher’s guide. To purchase a teacher’s guide, please visit: Bible-in-Life or Echoes.

Materials Needed:

Pens/pencils (1 per student)
Pieces of paper (1 per student)
Whiteboard and marker (or screenshared document)

If your class is meeting online, invite students to bring a pen/pencil and piece of paper with them to class.

Having money and using it to buy nice things isn’t something we should be ashamed of; however, when we feel ourselves constantly craving more and more consumption, when our view of money moves from its utility to obsession, that’s where the danger is. But how do we know where to draw the line? After all, who’s to say what our motives truly are?

Well, God does. He knows what’s in our hearts better than even we do. He’s standing by to be our spiritual Financial Advisor; we just need to know the right questions to ask.

Write the following questions, alternatives, and prayer on the whiteboard or screenshared document. Instruct your students to copy it on their papers, creating a spiritual financial checklist. Communicate to your class that they should use this list as a way to evaluate the motives behind their purchasing behavior and, in turn, begin using their money to serve God’s kingdom.

QUESTIONS

Do I really need this?
How long have I wanted it?
Would I still want it in a month?
Why am I buying this?
What purpose does it serve?

ALTERNATIVES
What other things could I buy/people could I help with this same amount of money?

PRAYER
Ask God to give you guidance in this matter.

Once your students have finished copying down this list, challenge them to use it throughout the following week to assess their motives before they buy something.

Close in prayer, thanking God for giving us guidance as we try to shut out greed.

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David C Cook is a nonprofit organization dedicated to publishing and distributing leadership and discipleship resources to help Christians all over the world grow in their faith and pass it on to the next generation. We call this “DiscipleShaping”.

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David C Cook COVID-19 Response

High School