Managing God's Money: A Biblical Guide

Randy Alcorn -

If you're familiar with Randy Alcorn's lengthy classic Money, Possessions and Eternity - you might describe this as the Reader's Digest version. In Managing God's Money, Randy Alcorn uses a "question and answer" format to break down what the Bible says about our use of money and possessions in bite-size, readable excerpts.  Managing God's Money would be a wonderful reference tool for anyone who wants a solid biblical understanding of money, possessions, and eternity.

Strengths & Features
Topics
Alcorn skillfully breaks down a complex and detailed subject into 6 manageable categories:
• Money and Possessions
• Perspectives that Impede Faithful Money Management
• Our Stewardship in Eternity's Light
• Giving and Sharing God's Money and Possessions
• Wisely Handling God's Money and Possessions
• Passing the Baton of Wise Stewardship

Positioning.   Randy Alcorn has written two other stewardship classics - Money, Possessions Eternity, and Treasure Principle. So why a third? Managing God's Money includes portions of what Randy considers the most important subjects dealt with in his large book Money, Possessions & Eternity. While The Treasure Principle focuses on giving, Managing God's Money covers giving and many other money topics such as lifestyles, debt, spending, saving, insurance, retirement, children, and more.

Opportunity.  Alcorn is careful to avoid using guilt to motivate biblical stewardship. Instead, he presents money as an opportunity, positioning unwise stewardship as a missed opportunity: "What opportunities are we currently missing because we've failed to use our money and our lives wisely in light of eternity?"

Foundation.   Managing God's Money reinforces bedrock biblical stewardship principles such as God's ownership of everything. Alcorn says, "There can be no understanding of stewardship unless there is an awareness of ownership."

Perspective.   Alcorn spells out the practical implications of God's ownership by laying out what that means in terms of our perspective towards money and even the questions we should be asking about it: "If we believe that God is the owner of all that has been entrusted to us, shouldn't we regularly be asking him, ‘What do you want me to do with your money and your possessions?'"

Freedom.   In the end, Alcorn's aim is to help people experience the joy and freedom of living out biblical stewardship. But that freedom, according to Alcorn, doesn't come by better execution of money management principles; it comes by drawing closer to God: "Those who hold tightly to the true God will loosen their grip on money - and loosen money's grip on them."

 Prosperity.   Managing God's Money echoes a most memorable themes from his other stewardship classic, Treasure Principle when he reminds us that "Too often we assume that God entrusts more to us to increase our standard of living; however, his stated purpose is to increase our standard of giving."

Things To Be Aware Of
Alcorn's writings (rooted in the radical teachings from Scripture on money) may cause some to despair and give up, reasoning the bar is set too high. Alcorn reassures readers, however, that even the Apostle Paul acknowledged his struggles with learning contentment, concluding "that means it didn't come naturally for him."

Available at: www.christianbook.com