This past weekend we continued our study of John 15 by talking about gospel-centered generosity (John 15:12-13).
The best books on this subject, imo, go deeper than our giving habits and into the root of our sin (greedy and idolatrous hearts). Randy Alcorn is one of my favorite authors on this subject, and his books have greatly influenced my thinking on this matter. His The Treasure Principle is a fabulous, short book on seeing your money with God’s eyes.
Here are a few highlights from the book:
“Financial planners tell us, ‘When it comes to your money, don’t think just three months or three years ahead. Think thirty years ahead.’ Christ, the ultimate investment counselor, takes it further. He says, ‘Don’t ask how your investment will be paying off in just thirty years. Ask how it will be paying off in thirty million years.’”
“Christ’s grace defines, motivates, and puts in perspective our giving: ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.’”
“The greatest passage on giving in all Scripture ends not with ‘Congratulations for your generosity,’ but ‘Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!’” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
“…I’m convinced that the greatest deterrent to giving is this: the illusion that earth is our home.”
“The act of giving is a vivid reminder that it’s all about God, not about us. It’s saying I am not the point, He is the point.”
“Giving doesn’t strip me of vested interests; rather, it shifts my vested interests from earth to heaven – from self to God.”
“I’m not saying that it’s easy to give. I’m saying – and there are thousands who will agree – that it’s much easier to live on 90 percent or 50 percent or 10 percent of your income inside the will of God than it is to live on 100 percent outside it.”
“Like piano playing, giving is a skill. With practice, we get better at it.”
