In the midst of prosperity, the challenge for believers is to handle wealth in such a way that it acts as a blessing, not a curse. Randy Alcorn More Quotes by Randy Alcorn More Quotes From Randy Alcorn God doesn't look at just what we give. He also looks at what we keep. Randy Alcorn christian-inspirational christian giving Giving jump starts our relationship with God. It opens our fists so we can receive what God has for us. Randy Alcorn our-relationship fists giving Countless mistakes in marriage, parenting, ministry, and other relationships are failures to balance grace and truth. Sometimes we neglect both. Often we choose one over the other. Randy Alcorn balance grace mistake Your children should love the Lord, work hard, and experience the joy of trusting God. More important than leaving your children an inheritance is leaving them a spiritual heritage. If you left your children money they didn't need, and if they were thinking correctly, wouldn't they give it to God anyway? Then why not give it to God yourself, since He entrusted it to you? Randy Alcorn hard-work spiritual children Many [Western Christians] habitually think and act as if there is no eternity. . . . We major in the momentary and minor in the momentous. Randy Alcorn eternity christian thinking Too often we assume that God has increased our income to increase our standard of living, when his stated purpose is to increase our standard of giving. (Look again at 2 Corinthians 8:14 and 9:11). Randy Alcorn income giving looks Is It Unloving to Speak of Hell? If you were giving some friends directions to Denver and you knew that one road led there but a second road ended at a sharp cliff around a blind corner, would you talk only about the safe road? No. You would tell them about both, especially if you knew that the road to destruction was wider and more traveled. In fact, it would be terribly unloving not to warn them about that other road. Randy Alcorn denver would-be giving It's curious that the Church has become the most tightfisted at the very time in history when God has provided most generously. There's considerable talk about the end of the age, and many people seem to believe that Christ will return in their lifetime. But why is it that expecting Christ's return hasn't radically influenced our giving? Why is it that people who believe in the soon return of Christ are so quick to build their own financial empires--which prophecy tells us will perish--and so slow to build God's kingdom? Randy Alcorn giving believe people Don't forget that the most effective form of child abuse is giving a child everything they want. Randy Alcorn abuse giving children God comes right out and tells us why he gives us more money than we need. It's not so we can find more ways to spend it. It's not so we can indulge ourselves and spoil our children. It's not so we can insulate ourselves from needing God's provision. It's so we can give and give generously (2 Corinthians 8:14; 9:11) Randy Alcorn giving children needs Many Christians dread the thought of leaving this world. Why? Because so many have stored up their treasures on earth, not in heaven. Each day brings us closer to death. If your treasures are on earth, that means each day brings you closer to losing your treasures. Randy Alcorn christian heaven mean You are made for a person and a place. Jesus is the person. Heaven is the place. Randy Alcorn made heaven jesus Sin and death and suffering and war and poverty are not natural—they are the devastating results of our rebellion against God. We long for a return to Paradise—a perfect world, without the corruption of sin, where God walks with us and talks with us in the cool of the day. Randy Alcorn perfect war long Jesus tells you exactly how to get it. Put your money in missions-and in your church and the poor-and your heart will follow. Randy Alcorn church heart jesus God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving. Randy Alcorn standards giving religion Five minutes after we die, we'll know exactly how much we should have given rather than kept. Randy Alcorn minutes given should-have As long as I hold tightly to something, I believe I own it. But when I give it away, I relinquish control, power, and prestige. When I realize that God has a claim not merely on the few dollars I might choose to throw in an offering plate, not simply on 10 percent or even 50 percent, but on 100 percent of "my" money, it's revolutionary. If I'm God's money manager, I'm not God. Money isn't God. God is God. So God, money, and I are each put in our rightful place. Randy Alcorn giving long believe I detest legalism. I certainly don't want to try to pour new wine into old wineskins, imposing superseded First Covenant restrictions on Christians. But at the same time, every New Testament example of giving goes far beyond the tithe. However, none falls short of it. Randy Alcorn wine christian fall Give cheerfully. If we're not cheerful, the problem is our heart, and the solution is redirecting our heart, not withholding our giving. Randy Alcorn cheerful heart giving Materialism is a fruitless attempt to find meaning outside of God. When we try to find ultimate fulfillment in a person other than Christ or a place other than heaven, we become idolaters. According to Scripture, materialism is not only evil; it is tragic and pathetic. Randy Alcorn evil trying heaven
