We all use systems to help us accomplish our objectives every day. Think about the system you have for getting dressed in the morning. You don’t put on your deodorant until you get out of the shower. You drink your coffee before you brush your teeth. Right? There’s a system to the way you prepare yourself for the day that … Read More
The Five Stones of Financial Peace
You honor God with your finances through giving–through excelling at each giving stage and learning to live an open-handed life. As you make your climb up the generosity ladder, five big stones need to be in place in your financial life. These stones will give you solidarity and grounding as you move through the stages–or up the rungs–toward a life … Read More
The Inclination to Give
An inclination to give is written on your soul, no matter how muted it may be by your present concerns or lack of belief. Sometimes it takes a traumatic experience to bring that God-given pull toward generosity to the surface. Horror novelist Stephen King is not usually associated with sharing timeless biblical principles. But in a commencement speech delivered to … Read More
The Importance of Recognizing the Source of Your Income
Giving is not something that comes naturally for us. We like to have complete control over our resources. After all, they are ours. We are the ones who got up and went to work for them. They sit in our bank account. We have a right to hold on to them as tightly as we’ like and to do with … Read More
Your Relationship with Money: Generosity or Greed?
Life is too short and too important to live with the constant stress, anxiety, and worry that come from not honoring God with your finances. We will spend a lot more time in eternity than we will in this life. Consider Jesus’s words in Matthew 6:19-21: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, … Read More
Saving for Eternity: Where is Your Money Going?
Understanding God’s ultimate ownership means that we also recognize our role as conduits of his resources. We were not put on this earth to amass treasures for ourselves but to let treasure pass through us and back to a greater purpose. The “get all we can while we can” mind-set that most of us live with is what has driven … Read More
The Five Stones of Financial Peace
You honor God with your finances through giving–through excelling at each giving stage and learning to live an open-handed life. As you make your climb up the generosity ladder, five big stones need to be in place in your financial life. These stones will give you solidarity and grounding as you move through the stages–or up the rungs–toward a life … Read More
The Importance of Recognizing the Source of Your Income
Giving is not something that comes naturally for us. We like to have complete control over our resources. After all, they are ours. We are the ones who got up and went to work for them. They sit in our bank account. We have a right to hold on to them as tightly as we’ like and to do with … Read More
Generous Giving = Generous Living
Giving generously does not have anything to do with the actual dollar amount you give; it has everything to do with what that dollar amount is in proportion to your income. When you give over and above the minimum requirement, quickly and cheerfully, you are a generous giver, no matter where the decimal point falls. Mark tells us an interesting … Read More
Expanding God’s Kingdom: Tithing in the Local Church
Often people question not the amount of a proper gift but where it should be given. Some people believe they should be able to distribute their tithe as they see fit. They want to control how their money is spent. If they aren’t happy with the way their local church handles its finances, they think they should have the freedom … Read More