Managing God's Money
, by Alcorn, Randy C.
- ISBN: 9781414345536 | 1414345534
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 1/3/2011
God cares a great deal more about our money than most of us imagine. The sheer enormity of Scripture's teaching on this subject screams for our attention. In fact, Jesus says more about how we are to view and handle money and possessions than about any other topic-including both heaven and hell. In Managing God's Money, Randy Alcorn breaks down exactly what the Bible has to say about how we are to handle our money and posessions in a simple, easy-to-follow format. Filled with Scripture references, Managing God's Moneyis the perfect reference tool for anyone who is interested in gaining a solid biblical understanding of money, possessions, and eternity.
Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries and the best-selling author of Heaven; Money, Possessions, and Eternity; The Treasure Principle; If God Is Good; Deadline; Dominion; Deception; and Safely Home. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters.
| Introduction | p. xi |
| Money and Possessions: Bible | p. 101 |
| Starting Right: A Biblical Mind-Set about Money | p. 3 |
| Are we faithful in how we handle money? | p. 3 |
| Is money really important to God? | p. 5 |
| Why so much biblical emphasis on money and possessions? | p. 7 |
| Isn't what we do with our money our own business? | p. 9 |
| What questions will we one day have to answer? | p. 12 |
| Ownership: It All Belongs to God | p. 13 |
| What is stewardship, and why is ownership foundational to it? | p. 14 |
| Is God really the owner of all? | p. 15 |
| How is stewardship synonymous with the Christian life? | p. 18 |
| Stewardship: It's under Our Management | p. 21 |
| What are the eternal friends and dwellings Jesus speaks of? | p. 22 |
| What are the "true riches" Jesus entrusts to some? | p. 24 |
| What do Christ's stewardship parables mean? | p. 25 |
| What does Jesus teach us about the property owner? | p. 26 |
| What does Jesus teach us about the property manager? | p. 27 |
| Are we ready for the Owner to return or for us to go to him? | p. 29 |
| Perspectives That Impede Faithful Money Management | |
| "Money Is Bad": A False Spirituality | p. 35 |
| Does the Bible say money is evil? | p. 36 |
| Is it possible to both follow God and make money? | p. 37 |
| Is it right for Christians to have material possessions and enjoy them? | p. 39 |
| "It's All about Money": The False God of Materialism | p. 41 |
| What's wrong with wanting things? | p. 41 |
| Bible stories too close to home? | p. 42 |
| What isn't life measured by? | p. 43 |
| Is money-love a formula for self-destruction? | p. 45 |
| Materialism: Ten Fatal Dangers | p. 47 |
| Materialism hinders or destroys our spiritual lives | p. 47 |
| Materialism is a broken cistern that can't hold water | p. 48 |
| Materialism blinds us to the curses of wealth | p. 48 |
| Materialism brings us unhappiness and anxiety | p. 49 |
| Materialism ends in futility | p. 50 |
| Materialism obscures many of life's greatest blessings | p. 52 |
| Materialism spawns independence and self-sufficiency | p. 52 |
| Materialism leads to pride and elitism | p. 53 |
| Materialism promotes injustice and exploitation | p. 54 |
| Materialism fosters immorality and the deterioration of the family | p. 55 |
| Battling Materialism in Christian Families | p. 57 |
| What is "affluenza"? | p. 57 |
| Is there any substitute for a parent? | p. 59 |
| What about our children's other teachers? | p. 60 |
| How about a field trip to a dump? | p. 61 |
| Rethinking Prosperity Theology (Hint: God Is Not Our Genie) | p. 63 |
| Doesn't God promise to make us prosperous if we obey him? | p. 64 |
| What about Job and Lazarus and godly people who suffer? | p. 65 |
| Prosperity or persecution? | p. 67 |
| What can we learn about prosperity theology from the apostle Paul? | p. 69 |
| So why does God prosper us sometimes? | p. 72 |
| Our Stewardship in Eternity's Light | |
| Two Treasuries, Two Perspectives, Two Masters: Choosing between Two Kingdoms | p. 77 |
| How do we keep money and possessions in perspective? | p. 77 |
| What does it mean to store up treasures in Heaven? | p. 80 |
| Is storing up treasures in Heaven really about giving? | p. 83 |
| What is an eternal investment? | p. 85 |
| Where do we find the motivation to invest eternally? | p. 88 |
| God's Steward's Eternal Destiny: Heaven | p. 91 |
| Why is it important to view our present lives through the lens of eternity? | p. 92 |
| Is Heaven really a place we should look forward to? | p. 93 |
| Will we really eat and drink and spend time with friends? | p. 94 |
| Will we rest or work or both? | p. 98 |
| God's Steward's Eternal Rewards | p. 99 |
| Does God care about what we do on Earth, or only about what we believe? | p. 99 |
| Does God hate our good works? | p. 101 |
| How powerful is the motivation of eternal reward? | p. 102 |
| Is it wrong to be motivated by rewards? | p. 103 |
| Whose idea is it for God to grant rewards to faithful stewards? | p. 105 |
| Should reward be our only motivation? | p. 108 |
| Giving and Sharing God's Money and Possessions | |
| Tithing: The Training Wheels of Giving | p. 113 |
| Where and how do we start giving? | p. 113 |
| What exactly does tithing mean? | p. 116 |
| Isn't tithing legalism? | p. 118 |
| If tithing is no longer a law, could it still be a good idea? | p. 122 |
| What if we can't afford to tithe? | p. 123 |
| Should we tithe on our gross or our net income? | p. 126 |
| Freewill Giving: Overflow of the Grace-Filled Heart | p. 127 |
| How does grace giving differ from tithing? | p. 128 |
| What do we do with the financial blessings God showers on us in response to our giving? | p. 131 |
| Why has God provided more than we need? | p. 132 |
| How do we set our own salaries? | p. 134 |
| Whose praise do we seek in giving? | p. 135 |
| What is sacrificial giving? | p. 137 |
| Helping the Poor and Spreading the Gospel: Supporting God's Work with God's Wealth | p. 141 |
| Are we to blame for people's poverty? | p. 143 |
| Does how we help the poor depend on the reasons why they are poor? | p. 144 |
| What's our heart condition as we give to the poor? | p. 146 |
| What about giving to world evangelism? | p. 147 |
| Where should we give first? | p. 148 |
| What if we disagree with how the local church uses money? | p. 150 |
| What should we look for when giving to a ministry? | p. 151 |
| Wisely Handling God's Money and Possessions | |
| Discipleship: Choosing a Strategic Lifestyle | p. 155 |
| Do we have a right to own land and possessions? | p. 155 |
| Should we go out, leaving possessions behind, or stay home and support others? | p. 158 |
| What is expected of both goers and stayers? | p. 160 |
| How much can we safely keep? | p. 161 |
| What's the difference between a simple lifestyle and a strategic one? | p. 162 |
| Is it all right to own certain possessions for personal enjoyment? | p. 163 |
| Debt: Finding Freedom and Wisdom | p. 165 |
| Why is the topic of debt so important? | p. 165 |
| Why should debt usually be avoided? | p. 167 |
| What else does the Bible say about debt? | p. 168 |
| What should we ask ourselves before going into debt? | p. 170 |
| What do wise money managers understand about spending and debt? | p. 173 |
| Questions and Answers about Debt | p. 179 |
| What about borrowing to buy a house? | p. 180 |
| Should we have and use credit cards? | p. 182 |
| Should we pay off all debts before giving money to God? | p. 184 |
| How can we get out of debt? | p. 185 |
| Preparing for the Future: Savings Accounts and Retirement Funds | p. 189 |
| Why is the topic of saving important? | p. 189 |
| Is saving ever wrong? | p. 191 |
| How can we approach saving with biblical balance? | p. 193 |
| Is retirement biblical, and how much money is enough? | p. 196 |
| Is anything "hands off" to God? | p. 197 |
| Looking for Returns: Gambling and Investing | p. 201 |
| Is gambling okay? | p. 201 |
| How does investing differ from gambling? | p. 203 |
| Can we be wiser about where we invest God's money? | p. 203 |
| Have you received and heeded wise counsel before investing? | p. 205 |
| Inheritance or Heritage: What to Leave Behind and What to Send Ahead | p. 207 |
| What's different about inheritances in our culture? | p. 207 |
| Is it really God's money, or does it belong to our children? | p. 211 |
| What's the difference between giving money now and leaving it to good causes when we die? | p. 213 |
| Passing the Baton of Wise Stewardship | |
| In the Family: Teaching Children How to Manage God's Money and Possessions | p. 219 |
| How can we help children connect money with work? | p. 221 |
| How can we teach children to save? | p. 222 |
| How can we help children become generous givers? | p. 223 |
| How can we help young children handle money? | p. 225 |
| What can families do together to learn good stewardship? | p. 226 |
| How can we teach children self-control? | p. 227 |
| How can we help children develop good spending habits? | p. 228 |
| How can we help children learn greater responsibility? | p. 228 |
| Should we help children learn the hard way? | p. 229 |
| How can we help children learn to share their possessions? | p. 230 |
| How can we help children become thankful? | p. 231 |
| How can we leave a legacy of godly stewardship? | p. 232 |
| In the Church: Cultivating a Culture of Stewardship and Giving | p. 233 |
| How do we teach others about stewardship and giving? | p. 233 |
| What resources are available to help people become wiser stewards? | p. 234 |
| Is there a right time and place to tell our stewardship and giving stories? | p. 237 |
| What can we do now to prepare ourselves for our coming job evaluation? | p. 240 |
| Conclusion: Money Management and an Eternal Investment Mentality | p. 241 |
| Have you transferred the title deed to God? | p. 241 |
| Has God strategically entrusted his assets to you for this time and place? | p. 244 |
| What is the spiritual gift of giving, and who has it? | p. 245 |
| Are we in danger of overemphasizing giving? | p. 246 |
| How seriously will we take what Jesus said? | p. 248 |
| What Will You Do Now? | p. 251 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 255 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
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