Tribe - Podcast/Discussion Guide 11-8-26

5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide

Based on "Guarding the Church Against Greed" | 1 Timothy 6:1-10

Day 1: Your Conduct Is Your Testimony

Reading: Colossians 3:17-24

Devotional: Every believer carries a visible witness. The way you treat your employer, your employees, your coworkers, and your clients either commends the gospel or contradicts it. Paul's instruction to bondservants in 1 Timothy 6:1-2 was not about endorsing their circumstances. It was about protecting the reputation of God's name. Your daily conduct in ordinary places is part of your testimony. A person who speaks of Christ on Sunday but cuts corners on Monday sends a conflicted message to a watching world. Ask yourself today: does the way I work, speak, and treat others reflect the One I claim to follow? Let your life make the gospel believable.

Reflection Questions:

In what area of your daily life does your conduct most clearly reflect your faith?

Where might there be a gap between what you profess and how you live?

Practical Application: Identify one specific behavior in your workplace or home this week that you will intentionally align with your faith in Christ.

Day 2: Discerning Truth From Spiritual Malpractice

Reading: 2 Timothy 4:1-5; 1 John 4:1

Devotional: Not every voice that quotes Scripture teaches Scripture faithfully. Paul warned Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:3-5 that false teachers can be identified by two things: they depart from sound doctrine, and they use religion as a means of personal gain. The result is not spiritual growth but envy, division, and corruption. The sermon offered a sobering image: a doctor who tells patients what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear is guilty of malpractice. A teacher who twists God's Word for financial advantage commits the same offense spiritually. Discernment is not optional for the believer. It is a discipline of love for Christ and care for His church.

Reflection Questions:

How do you evaluate the teaching you receive against the standard of God's Word?

Have you ever been drawn to a message because it appealed to what you wanted rather than what God said?

Practical Application: This week, choose one teaching or sermon you have recently heard and examine it carefully against Scripture. Practice the habit of a Berean believer as described in Acts 17:11.

Day 3: The Wealth That Cannot Be Taken

Reading: Philippians 4:10-13; Hebrews 13:5-6

Devotional: Paul's declaration in 1 Timothy 6:6 stands in direct opposition to the prosperity gospel and to the quiet assumptions many believers carry without realizing it. Godliness joined with contentment is great gain. Not godliness plus a larger income. Not godliness plus a bigger house. Godliness with contentment. Paul reminds us in verse 7 that we arrived in this world with nothing and we will leave the same way. Everything accumulated in between is temporary. Contentment is not the absence of need or the pretending that financial hardship is not real. It is the settled confidence that God's presence is a sufficient foundation for joy regardless of what surrounds us. The believer who has Christ has more than the wealthiest person who does not.

Reflection Questions:

What does contentment actually look like in your life right now, in your current circumstances?

Is there something you are waiting to acquire before you allow yourself to feel satisfied?

Practical Application: Write down three specific blessings God has already provided in your life. Spend time in prayer today thanking Him for each one before asking Him for anything else.

Day 4: The Trap That Looks Like Opportunity

Reading: Luke 12:13-21; Matthew 6:19-24

Devotional: Paul's warning in 1 Timothy 6:9 is precise and penetrating. He does not say that those who have money fall into a snare. He says those whose hearts are controlled by the desire to become rich fall into one. The distinction matters. Greed is a condition of the heart before it ever becomes a pattern of behavior. Jesus warned in Luke 12:15 that life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. The rich fool in the parable that followed had full barns and an empty soul. The trap of greed is particularly dangerous because it does not announce itself. It arrives disguised as ambition, security, and opportunity. What you think you are pursuing may already be pursuing you.

Reflection Questions:

What decisions have you made recently that were driven more by financial gain than by faithfulness to God?

Is there a relationship, a commitment, or a spiritual discipline you have allowed to suffer because of the pursuit of more?

Practical Application: Examine your calendar and your budget this week. These two things reveal what you actually treasure. Ask God to show you honestly where your heart has drifted toward the love of money.

Day 5: Treasuring Jesus More Than Everything

Reading: Mark 8:34-38; 2 Corinthians 8:9

Devotional: The answer to greed is not simply learning to want less. It is learning to treasure Jesus more. George Beverly Shea faced a choice between a promising musical career and a life devoted to pointing others toward Christ. The poem his mother placed on the piano gave language to what his heart already knew. Nothing this world offers compares to knowing Jesus. Second Corinthians 8:9 reveals the stunning generosity of the Savior: though He was rich beyond all measure, He became poor for our sake so that through His poverty we might become rich in ways that money could never purchase. Forgiveness. Peace with God. Eternal life. These are the gains that greed can never produce and death can never take away. Jesus is worth more than everything this world affords.

Reflection Questions:

If you are honest with yourself today, what does your heart treasure most?

Can you say with genuine conviction that Jesus is worth more to you than anything this world could offer?

Practical Application: Read the full lyrics of "I'd Rather Have Jesus" by Rhea F. Miller slowly and prayerfully. Let each verse become a prayer of surrender. Ask God to make the words of that hymn the honest confession of your heart, not just today but in every season of life He calls you to walk through.

This reading plan is designed for individual or small group use. Each day's reading pairs with the sermon "Guarding the Church Against Greed" from the Set in Order series at Fusion Church Madison.