Money Possessions and Eternity (Randy Alcorn)

Karen and I finished reading this book together before we got married and we whole heartedly recommend it (whatever stage of life you're at!!) It was great for us as we merged our bank accounts together, came up with a budget for giving and a budget for living etc...

I pray that God will use these highlights from "Money Possessions and Eternity" to challenge your heart, mind and cheque book!

God is the owner of all things, and we are simply his stewards. (pg 139)
- This sentence is Randy Alcorn's thesis. All of the following points flow from this assertion.

A couple other great short statements are :
It's wise to give first, save second, and spend last. (pg 328)

You can't take money with you when you die. Or as someone put it, "You'll never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul." (pg 36)

Whatever treasures we store up on earth will be left behind when we leave. Whatever treasures we store up in heaven will be waiting for us when we arrive. (pg 96)

Alcorn then lists 11 New Testament Guidelines for Giving...
1) Give: "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give" (2 Corinthians 9:7)
2) Give Generously: (Mark 14:3-9)
3) Give Regularly: "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income" (1 Corinthians 16:2)
4) Give Deliberately
5) Give Voluntarily: "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion" (2 Corinthians 9:7)
6) Give Sacrifically: "For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability" (2 Corinthians 8:3)
7) Give Excellently: "See that you also excel in this grace of giving" (2 Corinthians 8:7)
8) Give Cheerfully: "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7)
9) Give Worshipfully: (Acts 10:1-4)
10) Give Proportionately: "Each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income" (1 Corinthians 16:2)
11) Give Quietly: (Matthew 6:1-4)

To everyone paying off OSAP, a line of credit, or a house mortgage... I encourage you to read these Bible passages and heed this advice:
[In His Word God warns] those in debt to get out as soon as possible (Proverbs 6:1-5)... and Romans 13:8 proves we shouldn't normally borrow and should always pay off debt as soon as possible. (pg 307)

COOL ILLUSTRATIONS:
- I really liked these 2 stories, they show how temporary and fleeting wealth is...

After striking a large deposit of gold, two miners in the Klondike gold rush were so excited about unearthing more and more gold each day that they neglected to store up provisions for the winter. Then came the first blizzard. Nearly frozen, one of the miners scribble a note explaining their foolishness. Then he lay down to die, having come to his senses too late. Months later, a prospecting party discovered the note and the miners' frozen bodies lying on top of a huge pile of gold. Obsessed with their treasure, these men hadn't taken into account that the fair weather wouldn't last and winter was coming. Hypnotized by their wealth, they failed to prepare for the imminent future. The gold that seemed such a blessing proved to be a deadly curse. (pg 58)

When you're on a long airplane flight, you naturally talk to people, socialize, eat, read, pray, sleep, or mayble talk about where you're going. But what would you think if a passenger by the window seat started hanging curtains over the window, taped photographs to the seat in front of him, painted murals, and put up wall hangings? You'd think, Hey it's not that long of a trip. Once we get to the destination, none of this will matter. Even a long plane flight is short compared to the span of your entire life. (pg 102)

ON TITHING:
I've heard so many different varying messages on this topic I appreciated how Randy Alcorn encourages people to considering tithing as the "floor" of their giving (meaning we shouldn't be giving any less than 10% of our gross income back to the Lord)

Jesus was raised in a devout Jewish home, meaning that his parents tithed and instructed him to tithe.... "You should have practiced the latter [justice, mercy and faithfulness] without neglecting the former [tithing]" (Matthew 23:23) (pg 184)

Can tithing be legalistic? Of course. The holy habits of church attendance, prayer and Bible reading can also degenerate into legalism - but that doesn't make them illegitimate. (pg 183)

If Western Christians all practiced tithing, the task of world evangelism and feeding the hungry would be within reach (pg 186)

When people tell me, "I can't afford to tithe," I often ask, "If your income were reduced by 10%, would you die?" They always admit they wouldn't. Somehow, they would manage to get by. That's proof that they really can tithe. The truth is simply that they don't want to. (pg 189)

Bam... the sad truth is the vast majority of born again Christians in North America just don't want to give...

ON MISSIONS AND THE POOR:
I was convicted by this next quote...

I must ask myself, Where are the poor in my budget? Our family gives regularly to relief ministries that bring material help and the gospel to the needy throughout the world. But this isn't enough... Perhaps I must take regular trips away from the cozy suburbs where I live. (pg 236)

I've heard people say, "I want more of a heart for missions." I always respond, "Jesus tells you exactly how to get it. Put your money in missions, and your heart will follow." (pg 101)

And this next quote made me stop, pray and look forward to the day when I will meet people from every tribe, tongue, language and nation in our true Home!

Some can go... All can pray... All can give... Will you? As you consider your answer, imagine for a moment the warm voice of someone from a different culture - perhaps with a different color of skin - coming to you in heaven, embracing you and whispering, "Thank you - you brought us the gospel, and that is all that matters." (pg 242)

FOR MARRIED COUPLES:
Karen and I have tried these next two things and found them to be fun and helpful :)

When one spouse balances the checkbook, it's important that the other participate in the giving. Some couples take turns writing the check. Nanci and I make our giving decision together. She writes out the check and I put it in the offering. We're both involved. (pg 201)

When there are special offerings at church, my wife and I each come up with a figure and then we compare numbers. Normally, we go with the higher figure. Sometimes one of us comes up with the higher amount; sometimes it's the other. (pg 385)

FOR PASTORS AND ELDERS:
The first point he makes I think is pretty basic and hopefully standard in most churches today, but the quote on pastoral work hours and messages on finances I think were bang on!

There are several reasons why I believe that no one in church leadership should know who's giving what. If leaders know how much people give they'll be tempted to show preference to big givers and neglect those who give less. (pg 211)

How much time is the pastor expected to invest in local church ministry each week? Forty hours? Fifty hours? More? This should be mutually agreed upon, so the pastor knows when his church time and personal time begin and end. (pg 250)

I recommend scheduling messages on giving when there are no special please to give or special projects to give to. (pg 409)

LAST WORDS:

Our goal isn't to be penny-pinchers obsessed with money and fretting over every expenditure but joyful, responsible, and generous stewards of God's abundance. (pg 400)

I couldn't have summed it up better myself. May all of our possessions be used by our King until His kingdom comes!