Money, Possessions and Eternity

This book has been so impactful for me that I have bought and given away 4 additional copies to friends! That is the highest compliment I can really give to a book. As others have said, you cannot walk away from reading this book without seriously rethinking how you view, well, your money, your possessions, and the eternal impact that you can have. The book is fairly long and will take time to work through. I also highly recommend Alcorn's "The Treasure Principle" which is a smaller, easier read which focuses mainly on giving, but is similarly saturated in scripture and convicting.

Basically all I can say is that this book has changed my life. I have completely re-evaluated every possession I have and every dollar I spend and even the direction my life will take. It is quite deep and a tough read- it took me 8 months to work my way through it, but it was well worth it. This is a must read for anyone who wants to get serious about living the way God intends.

The premise of this book is simple: Where your focus is, there your heart will be also. It's based upon Jesus' promise to reward us for faithful stewardship. Since we own nothing, and everything we "think" we "own" is really God's (The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof), what we do with God's stewardship reflects where our focus is. If we focus on the here and now, then we'll look to maximize that. If we focus on the next 100 million years, and keep in perspective what He's taught us about His ownership of everything entrusted to us, then we'll behave differently, with an eye on the day that He will judge how we handled His people, His time, and His money. With that view of eternity in mind, we will get joy and liberation from giving rather than hoarding. We will first learn to tithe, then to give above and beyond. With an eternal focus, we'll be more insulated from the ad pitches and resultant buying desires beamed to us constantly. Randy Alcorn challenges us to set a top to our spending, and trust God for more income to GIVE rather than CONSUME. Why is America so blessed with wealth??? It's because He wants to use us a channels to other places He wants to work in. However, it depends on our obedience, which is somewhat dependent on our focus - either here and now, or forever. Take a walk around a cemetary - here and now doesn't last too long. Eternity is a long time. If you truly want to maximize your investments, choose the long term, not the short term.

I'm currently in the middle of reading, "Money, Possessions, and Eternity" by Randy Alcorn. If you decide to read it, be sure to get the updated and revised edition. This is a most fantastic book in what it shares about a biblical approach to money and Christian financial management. I wish I had read this book years ago. I'm 59 pages into the nearly 500 page book. I have already had so many ah-ha moments that I've lost track of all of the insights I've gleaned from this book so far. I don't agree 100% with everything Alcorn says, and I don't worry about that. I never do completely agree with any writer. Alcorn says in the forward to his book, "There is something in this book to offend everyone. Some of it offends me--and I wrote it. Please understand that it is not my intention to insult or irritate anyone. Any offenses are simply the by-product of trying to be faithful to the principles of Scripture--which have an annoying tendency to take issue with the way we prefer to think and live. I have undoubtedly erred in some of my conclusions. I invite you to examine carefully the hundreds of passages cited, searching the Scripture like the Bereans, to see whether these words are true. . . To the degree that my words do not match up to Scripture, they are worthless. To the degree that they stand up under the scrutiny of God's Word, they should be taken seriously." When I read these words, I knew I was in for an exciting read about what the Bible has to say about how we handle our money and material possessions. Many of us have struggled deeply with our finances. I think this is a "must read" book for all of us who want to use our money more wisely to impact this kingdom and the next. By the way, all of the royalties from Alcorn's books are given to Christian charities, ministries, and missions. He keeps none of it for himself. So far he has donated over $500,000 to the Lord's work. In this book, he shares how this came about.

Simply the best book on the subject. Be ready for a good spiritual punch in the gut. I buy numerous copies of these and constantly give them away to those I am close to. Chock full of scripture and and wisdom. It's intention is not to instruct you on how to get out of debt or balance your check-book. Seek out Ron Blue or Larry Burkett's excellent resorces for this. Alcorn lays out a view of the eternal promises of God (specifically related to the subject matter), challenges us to believe them and dramatically alter the way most American Christians live our lives. If you want the "Cliff's notes" version pick up Alcorn's "The Treasure Principle." If you want to go deep work your way through this gem.