Archive for March, 2007
The Treasure Principle, Part 4
March 17, 2007 2:51 pm
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;
a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.
Luke 12:15
CHAPTER 4: ROADBLOCKS TO GIVING. This chapter is about the things that stand between us and generous giving: unbelief, insecurity, pride, idolatry, desire for control. I realize this stuff may seem distant to teens who don’t have a regular job or make money only infrequently. But the point is that adopting this mindset now will make it much easier to please God with your finances later.
Randy Alcorn writes that he is “convinced that the greatest deterrent to giving is this: the illusion that earth is our home.” This is the next Key:
TREASURE PRINCIPLE KEY #3:
Heaven, not earth, is my home.
Our lives here are sort of like staying in a hotel overseas. While at this hotel, you can’t take anything home with you. But you can convert your possessions to money and send it to your bank at home, so that when you get home, your money is there waiting for you.
Paradoxically, our home is a place we’ve never been. But it’s the place we were made for, the place made for us.
If we would let this reality sink in, it would forever change the way we think and live. We would stop laying treasures in our earthly hotel rooms and start sending more ahead to our true home.
The thing is, sooner or later everything we own ends up in the landfill. Ever see the bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys wins”? Millions of people act as if it were true. The more accurate saying is, “He who dies with the most toys still dies—and never takes his toys with him.”
Our present life on earth is a dot. It begins. It ends. It’s brief. But from that dot extends a line that goes on forever. That line is eternity, which Christians will spend in heaven.
Right now we’re living in the dot. But what are we living for? The shortsighted person lives for the dot. The person with perspective lives for the line.
TREASURE PRINCIPLE #4
I should live not for the dot but for the line.
Giving is living for the line.
We’ll each part with our money. The only question is when. We have no choice but to part with it later. But we do have a choice whether to part with it now.
Alcorn explains how this works from Ecclesiates 5:10-15:
- “Whoever loves money never has enough” (v. 10). The more you have, the more you want.
- “Whoever love wealth is never satisfied with his income” (v. 10). The more you have, the less you’re satisfied.
- “As goods increase, so do those who consume them” (v. 11). The more you have, the more people (including the government) will come after it.
- “And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?” (v. 11). The more you have, the more you realize it does you no good.
- “The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep” (v. 12). The more you have, the more you have to worry about.
- “I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner” (v. 13). The more you have, the more you can hurt yourself by holding on to it.
- “Or wealth lost through some misfortune” (v. 14). The more you have, the more you have to lose.
- “Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand” (v. 15). The more you have, the more you’ll leave behind.
Isn’t this provacative? I can look around me right now at things that I enjoy and desire, that aren’t going to go with me into heaven. Some of them will break or get lost this year, or even this month. Some of them will soon be forgotten, no more to satisfy. My heart is so easily pulled towards materialism, whether it’s the latest technological gadget, cool golf clubs, or new clothes. We are prone to long for stuff; to live for the dot. Thankfully, Alcorn explains:
TREASURE PRINCIPLE #5
Giving is the only antidote to materialism.
C. S. Lewis put it this way: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who want sto go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imageine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
Even many Christians have settled for a life of unsatisfying material acquisitions, like making mud pies in a slum.
There’s something so much better than anything the world can offer—eternal treasure and exhilerating joy.
Discuss with your parents:
- What aspects of this world are most effective at luring your affections away from heaven?
- Discuss popular TV or print ads and analyze their message. What is true in each one? What is false in each one? What is the strategy used to sell you on the message?
Manskool vs. Wintry Mix
March 16, 2007 4:56 pm
For the guys who are involved in Manskool tomorrow, you can assume that I will be here no matter what the weather, since I can walk over here. Please exercise caution; if the roads are bad, Manskool is optional and you should feel the freedom to stay home.
If the weathermen miss it badly and we get three feet of snow, I’ll post a cancellation notice here by 6:30am tomorrow, but I think that unlikely.
The Treasure Principle, Part 3
March 15, 2007 5:03 pmFor the Son of Man is going to come in his
Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward
each person according to what he has done.
Matthew 16:27
CHAPTER 3: EYES ON ETERNITY. Randy Alcorn’s point in this chapter is that our hearts follow our money. But we can set our hearts on heaven as we invest in eternity.
If you imagine heaven as a place where you will strum a harp in endless tedium, you probably dread it. But if you trust Scripture, you will be filled with joy and excitement as you anticipate your heavenly home… heaven will be a place of rest and relief from the budens of sin and suffering; but it will also be a place of great learning, activity, artistic expression, exploration, discovery, camaraderie, and service.
Our view of heaven affects our approach to giving now, and leads to Treasure Principle Key #2:
Jesus said, “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”
By clinging to what isn’t ours, we forgo the opportunity to be granted ownership in heaven. But by generously distributing God’s property on earth, we will become property owners in heaven!
Giving is a giant lever positioned on the fulcrum of this world, allowing us to move mountains in the next world. Because we give, eternity will be different—for others and for us.
TREASURE PRINCIPLE KEY #2:
My heart always goes where I put God’s money.
By telling us that our hearts follow our treasure, Jesus is saying, “Show me your checkbook, your VISA statement, and your receipts, and I’ll show you where your heart is.” As surely as the compass needle follows north, your heart will follow your treasure. Money leads; hearts follow.
This is as true for teens with no money as it is for adults with tons of it. Ask yourself: what would you spend money on if you had it? What’s on your wish list? What do you long for? That’s treasure to you. Now, is it in heaven?
He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss. He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forwards to eternity; he’s moving daily toward his treasure. To him, death is gain.
He who spends his life moving away from his treasures has reason to despair. He who spends his life moving toward his treasures has reason to rejoice. Are you despairing or rejoicing?
Here are a couple questions to ask your parents about heaven and giving:
- Why are some of the richest people the least happy people?
- How does giving make us more joyful people?
- As you move toward death, are you backing away from your treasure or moving toward it?
The Treasure Principle, Part 2
March 14, 2007 4:01 pm
The less I spent on myself and the more I gave to others,
the fuller of happiness and blessing did my soul become.
Hudson Taylor
CHAPTER 2: COMPOUNDING JOY. Randy Alcorn tells the story of how his peaceful protest in front of an abortion clinic led to an $8.4 million lawsuit against him, forcing him to leave his role as a pastor and leading to other dramatic changes in his family’s life. As he tells it, this was the best thing that every happened to him, because it helped him understand these verses, and led him to grasp six keys that explain the Treasure Principle:
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein… (Psalm 24:1)
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:8)
You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (Dt. 8:18)
You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Cor 6:19-20)
TREASURE PRINCIPLE KEY #1
God owns everything.
I’m His money manager.
Alcorn goes on to explain what this means:
If God was the owner, I was the manager. I needed to adopt a steward’s mentality toward the assets He had entrusted—not given—to me.
A steward manages assets for the owner’s benefit. The steward carries no sense of entitlement to the assets he manages. It’s his job to find out what the owner wants done with his assets, then carry out his will. (p. 24)
This means that giving is a responsibility and a privilege for all God’s “money managers”:
God delights in our cheerfulness in giving. He wants us to find joy. He even commands us to rejoice (Philippians 4:4).
Giving isn’t the luxury of the rich. It’s a privilege of the poor.
“We’re most like God when we’re giving.” Gaze upon Christ long enough, and you’ll become more of a giver. Give long enough, and you’ll become more like Christ.
The same Greek word is used for Christian giving as for God’s grace.
Another benefit of giving is freedom. It’s a matter of basic physics. The greater the mass, the greater the hold that mass exerts. The more things we own—the greater their total mass—the more they grip us, setting us in orbit around them. Finally, like a black hole, the suck us in. (pp. 27-33)
Here are some questions you can ask your parents for further discussion:
- What material possessions to you think of as “yours”, that is, as things you own? Whose are they, really? How does this change how you think about those things?
- Describe a situation you have seen or experienced in which faithful stewardship has been blessed or unwise stewardship has not.
- Brainstorm a few strategies for changing your mindset from ownership to stewardship.
- How can we help each other delight more fully in the joy and reward of faithful stewardship?
Let The Madness Begin
March 13, 2007 6:35 pm
It’s fun for me to fill out March Madness brackets. I know very little about the game of basketball at all, still less about actual college teams. But ignorance seems to be an advantage when it comes to brackets. I’m always amazed how the ladies in our family who care the least about the tournament often pick the most winners.
I won’t bore you with all the details of my bracket, but I will tell you that I have Florida, UCLA, Georgetown, and Ohio State making it to the Final Four, with Ohio State beating UCLA for the Championship.
Why Ohio State? Why not?
Who are you picking to win?
The Treasure Principle, Part 1
1:43 pmHe is no fool who gives what he cannot keep
to gain what he cannot lose.
Jim Elliot
CHAPTER 1: BURIED TREASURE To understand this chapter, you must understand the parable of the hidden treasure. The entire parable spans two sentences, one verse:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Mt. 13:44)
Alcorn explains:
The parable of hidden treasure is one of many references Jesus made to money and possessions. In fact, 15 percent of everything Christ said relates to this topic–more than His teachings on heaven and hell combined.
Why did Jesus put such emphasis on money and possessions?
Because there’s a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and handle money. (p.8)
Alcorn elaborates on how our approach to money is a spiritual thermometer. This isn’t a simple list of rules for managing money as a Christian. This cuts right to the heart of our faith:
The traveler made short-term sacrifices to obtain a long-term reward. “It cost him everything he owned,” you mihg lament. Yes, but it gained him everything that mattered.
If we miss the phrase, “in his joy,” we miss everything. The man wasn’t exchanging lesser treasures for greater treasures out of dutiful drudgery but out of joyful exhilaration. (p. 10)
Jesus reveals the so-called “Treasure Principle” in Matthew 6:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Mt. 6:19-21)
Jesus has a treasure mentality. He wants us to store up treasures. He’s just telling us to stop storing them up in the wrong place and start storing them in the right place!
Jesus is talking about delayed gratification. The man who finds the treasure in the field pays a high price now by giving up all he has–but soon he’ll gain a fabulous treasure. As long as his eyes are on that treasure, he makes his short-term sacrifices with joy. The joy is present, so the gratification isn’t entirely deferred. Present joy comes from anticipating future joy.
Of course, Christ himself is our ultimate treasure. A person, Jesus, is our first treasure. A place, heaven, is our second treasure. Possessions, eternal rewards, are our third treasure. (What person are you living for? What place are you living for? What possessions are you living for?)
You’ll never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul. Why?
You can’t take it with you–
but you can send it on ahead.It’s a revolutionary concept. If you embrace it, I guarantee it will change your life. As you store up heavenly treasures, you’ll gain an everlasting version of what that man found in the treasure hidden in the field.
Joy. (pp. 12-19)
There you have it. The Treasure Principle is the basis for this little book: You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead. More Alcorn to come. In the meantime, review these discussion questions with your parents:
- What person are you living for?
- What place are you living for?
- What possessions are you living for?
Monday Matters: 03/12/07
March 12, 2007 9:14 pmBIG MEETING Recap
March 11, 2007 4:19 pm
Last night, Jamie Leach came down from Philly and gave us Drivers Ed Part 7: Proverbs on Money.
Jamie had some fascinating statistics: the Gross National Product (total value of all goods and services produced) of the United States is $12.41 trillion. That’s more than all of Europe and a large slice of the world’s $59 trillion total. We live in one of the two wealthiest counties in the country, and enjoy physical comforts that would have been completely unimaginable only a century ago. As Jamie said, “Does it look like I’m overworked and underfed?” Nope. Me either. We are wealthy people! Proverbs has a lot to say about wealth: see Proverbs 3:9-10, 13-18; 2:2-8; 7:1-4; 8:10-11, 17-21; 16:8, 16.
Jamie helped us to see that real wealth is in Christ and his kingdom. He quoted one of my favorite lines from missionary-martyr Jim Elliot:
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
How do we do this? By getting our focus off the next five minutes or the next five days, and looking a million years down the road. What is going to really matter on that day? See Proverbs 4:20-27.
Jamie also peppered his message with helpful evaluation questions. Here are some great questions for parents and teens:
- When I say wealth, what comes to mind?
- What do you have in your life that you won’t take any amount of money for?
- Do you tithe? What is your attitude towards tithing?
- Are you generous?
- Has your work ever interfered with church or a five15 event? Why?
One of my favorite resources on this topic is Randy Alcorn’s little book, The Treasure Principle. Watch for posts on this book all week. The bottom line of this book: “Priceless treasure is within your reach. And with it, liberating joy…” Read more to find out!
