Introduction — The Steward and the Master
The Bible emphatically demonstrates that how we view our money and possessions is of utmost importance. What we do with them will influence eternity. Jesus once told his disciples about a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. The rich man called him in and said, “Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.” Like that manager, we have been entrusted with property that belongs to someone else. God — who owns all things — has assigned human beings management responsibilities over his assets. One day we will stand before him and give an account of how we have managed what belongs to him.
This book won’t tell you how to achieve your financial goals, but it will provide the light in which your financial goals should be formulated. As Martin Luther put it, “There are three conversions necessary in the Christian life: the conversion of the heart, the mind, and the purse.”
Chapter 1 — Starting Right
Many who say “I have nothing to give” spend large amounts of discretionary income on cars, clothes, coffee, and entertainment. They have nothing to give when they’re done spending, precisely because they’re never done spending. The real issue is not what we would do with a million dollars — it’s what we are doing with the hundred thousand, ten thousand, or ten dollars we do have. If we are not faithful with what God has already entrusted to us, why should he trust us with any more?
Jesus said more about how we are to view and handle money and possessions than about any other topic — including both heaven and hell, and prayer and faith — because God wants us to recognize the powerful relationship between our true spiritual condition and our attitude and actions concerning money.
Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus shows that relationship clearly. When Zacchaeus said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today” (Luke 19:8–9). Zacchaeus’s willingness to part with his money for God’s glory and the good of others was visible evidence that his heart had changed.
Contrast that with the rich young man told to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. He went away sad because he had many possessions. Jesus then said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” The principle is timeless: if Christ is not Lord over our money and possessions, he is not our Lord.
In Mark 12:41–44, Jesus deliberately watches what people put in the Temple collection box. Many rich people put in large amounts; a poor widow dropped in two small coins. Jesus said she had given more than all the others — they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she had given everything she had. The God who knows hearts regards the poor woman as eternally wise. By contrast, he calls the wealthy man in Luke 12 a fool after the man plans to tear down his barns, build bigger ones, and spend the rest of his life taking it easy. God says to him, “You fool! You will die this very night.” Yet who do most Western Christians think and live more like — the poor widow or the rich fool?
Chapter 2 — Ownership
A distraught man rode his horse up to John Wesley, shouting, “Mr. Wesley, something terrible has happened! Your house has burned to the ground!” Wesley replied, “No. The Lord’s house burned to the ground. That means one less responsibility for me.” Wesley’s reaction sprang from life’s most basic reality — that God is the owner of all things, and we are simply his stewards.
Scripture emphasizes God’s ownership of everything: “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). “The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the LORD Almighty” (Haggai 2:8). And if we think “at least I own myself,” God says, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Not only does God own everything, but he grants our money-making skills: “Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
A steward’s primary goal is to be “found faithful” by his master (1 Corinthians 4:2). 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 their rightful place.
Chapter 3 — Stewardship
In the parable of the shrewd manager, Jesus says to use worldly wealth “to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9). The book interprets these “friends” as people we will meet in heaven because our material resources helped bring them to faith or supported work that changed their lives. Every time we give to world missions, famine relief, or Bible translation, we invest for the day we’ll meet them. One day, money will be useless. While it’s still useful, God’s money managers will use it for eternal good.
Drawing from this and Jesus’ other parables about servants entrusted with a master’s property, six qualities of a faithful steward emerge. First, stewardship: servants must be aware they are only caretakers of the master’s assets. Second, accountability: they will stand before him to explain their investments. Third, faithfulness: they must handle the master’s estate in a way that pleases him. Fourth, industriousness: they should work hard and do their best. Fifth, wisdom: they must choose investments carefully, neither taking undue risks nor letting capital erode through idleness. Sixth, focus: all side interests should be brought into orbit around one consuming purpose — to serve the master well.
When we stand before our Master, it will not matter how many people knew our names, whether schools were named after us, or how large our estates were. What will matter is one thing only — what our Master thinks of us.
Chapter 4 — “Money Is Bad”
Recognizing God as the owner does not mean concluding that money itself is corrupt. Two equally incorrect beliefs about money are that it is always evil and that it is always good. The Bible does not say money is the root of all evil. What it says is: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). The distinction matters enormously.
Martin Luther compared humanity to a drunkard who falls off his horse to the right, gets back on, then falls off to the left. Asceticism — rejecting material things as though they were inherently evil — is falling off one side; materialism is falling off the other. Satan doesn’t care which side we fall off, as long as we don’t stay in the saddle. We must battle materialism, not by withdrawing from society or condemning everything material, but by using what God has made while serving him faithfully within it.
Chapter 5 — “It’s All about Money”
The opposite error is allowing money to dominate everything. God created us to love people and use things, but materialists love things and use people. Scripture is filled with cautionary portraits: Achan stole things set apart for God (Joshua 7). Delilah betrayed Samson for a fee. Gehazi lied to gain Naaman’s payment and received Naaman’s leprosy instead (2 Kings 5). And in the ultimate act of treachery, Judas betrayed God’s own Son for money.
Greed surfaces in two forms: possessiveness — being selfish with what we own — and covetousness — longing for what God hasn’t given us. Both absorb attention and energy that might otherwise be spent cultivating intimacy with God through his Word and prayer, investing in family, or serving people who need Christ.
Chapter 6 — Materialism
Materialism does more than redirect our attention; it blinds us to our spiritual poverty. John Steinbeck captured the danger well: “If I wanted to destroy a nation, I would give it too much, and I would have it on its knees, miserable, greedy, sick.”
Solomon — one of history’s wealthiest men — tried to find meaning in building projects, entertainment, and possessions: “I collected great sums of silver and gold … I had everything a man could desire!” (Ecclesiastes 2:8–10). After decades as the world’s richest man, he concluded: “It was all so meaningless — like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).
Wealth can insulate us from discerning the true depth of our need for God. Before Israel entered the Promised Land, God warned that prosperity could turn his people away from him (Deuteronomy 31:20). The prophet Hosea later recorded the same verdict: “When you had eaten and were satisfied, you became proud and forgot me” (Hosea 13:5–6).
Chapter 7 — Battling Materialism in Christian Families
Because our view of possessions forms early, training our children about money should begin when they are young (Proverbs 22:6). That training involves more than teaching them what to do with an allowance. Parents must also examine what their own spending teaches children about love, happiness, and possessions.
Giving gifts to children can become a substitute for giving them personal attention — a playhouse, then a train set, then a car, all to compensate for a parent who is not available. Anything we give our children is a poor substitute for ourselves. Our children will not remember what we did for them nearly as much as they’ll remember what we did with them.
Chapter 8 — Rethinking Prosperity Theology
Materialism can also take on explicitly religious language. Jesus spoke blessings on the poor, the hungry, and the weeping, and pronounced sorrow on the rich and well-fed (Luke 6:20–26). Prosperity theology tends to emphasize the ascended Christ in his present glory while neglecting the descended Christ who came to suffer and serve. Yet Jesus warned his disciples not to imitate worldly rulers who use power for themselves. They were to follow his servant model instead (Mark 10:42–45).
Paul wrote what no health-and-wealth gospel preacher would: “To keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh … Three times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:7–9). God may accomplish higher purposes through our sickness than through our health. When God chose not to heal Paul, Paul didn’t “name it and claim it.” Instead, he acknowledged God’s spiritual purpose in his adversity.
The gospel therefore changes how we interpret both hardship and abundance. Suffering is not proof that God has abandoned us, and prosperity is not permission to indulge ourselves. God gives us plenty so that we can share with others: “You will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous” (2 Corinthians 9:11).
Chapter 9 — Two Treasuries, Two Perspectives, Two Masters
If prosperity is given for generosity rather than self-indulgence, the next question is where we should invest it. In Matthew 6:19–24, Jesus presents three groups of two: two treasures — earth and heaven; two perspectives — the good eye and the bad eye; two masters — God and money. He tells us to invest in the right treasury, adopt the right perspective, and serve the right master.
Christ’s primary argument against amassing material wealth isn’t that it’s morally wrong — it’s that it’s a poor investment. Financial planners urge people to think thirty years ahead. But thinking thirty years ahead is only slightly less shortsighted than thinking thirty days ahead. Christ says: ask how your investment will be paying off in thirty million years.
We store up treasures on earth by gripping them tightly. We store up treasures in heaven by holding loosely, sharing freely, and giving away earthly treasures for God’s kingdom purposes. It’s not an emotional appeal; it’s a logical one: invest in what has lasting value.
Consider this analogy: imagine you’re living in the South at the end of the Civil War, but you’re a Northerner planning to move home. You’ve accumulated lots of Confederate currency. Knowing the North will win, what do you do? You immediately cash in your Confederate currency for U.S. currency — the only money that will have value once the war is over. In the same way, kingdom currency is the only medium of exchange recognized by the Son of God, whose government will last forever. As Jim Elliot once wrote: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Chapter 10 — God’s Steward’s Eternal Destiny
The promise of eternal treasure matters because heaven is not a vague, disembodied existence in which our earthly lives are forgotten. In Revelation 6:9–11, the martyrs in heaven remember what happened to them, know that God’s final judgment has not yet come, and ask how long they must wait for justice. From this, the book concludes that those in heaven retain awareness, memory, and continuity with their lives on earth. Heaven is not a blank curtain falling on everything we were and did.
If our identity and memory continue beyond death, then the choices we make with God’s resources now will not suddenly become meaningless when this life ends. They become part of the life for which we were preparing all along.
Chapter 11 — God’s Steward’s Eternal Rewards
That continuity also helps explain the Bible’s teaching about eternal rewards. It wasn’t our idea that God reward us. It was his. Reward should never be our only motivation, but it is nonetheless a biblical and important one. God’s promised rewards do not compete with loving him; they give us another reason to use our brief earthly lives for what pleases him.
Ultimately, “whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). Pleasing the one you love is its own lofty reward.
Chapter 12 — Tithing
What, then, does faithful giving look like in practice? The Old Testament tithe provides a starting point, though New Testament giving goes far beyond it. The principle was ingrained in the beliefs of the early Christians, most of whom grew up in Jewish homes.
The first formal law of tithing occurs in Leviticus 27:30: “A tithe of everything from the land … belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” The word tithe means “a tenth part.” Under Israel’s law, the first 10 percent belonged to God, and Malachi later described withholding what belonged to him as robbing God. The Israelites also gave more than one tithe: two were given annually, with an additional tithe every third year. Together, these averaged about 23 percent of annual income.
Those who say “tithing isn’t for today” need to examine their hearts. New Testament Christians model lives transformed by radical grace — making them more sacrificial and generous, not less. Jesus himself affirmed tithing even while rebuking the Pharisees: “You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things” (Matthew 23:23).
When people say “I can’t afford to tithe,” a useful question is: if your income were reduced by 10 percent, would you die? Most admit they would find some way to adjust. That does not mean every financial obligation disappears overnight, but it challenges the assumption that giving 10 percent is simply impossible rather than a matter of priorities.
Chapter 13 — Freewill Giving
Tithing establishes a floor, not a ceiling. New Testament generosity is ultimately grounded not in a percentage but in the gospel itself. Paul writes: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
This kind of willing generosity also appears when the Israelites gave voluntary offerings for the Tabernacle. They gave so much the workers had to ask them to stop: “The people have given more than enough!” (Exodus 36:5–6). The emphasis was not simply on the amount but on the willingness of each person’s heart.
Think of yourself as God’s courier, not an owner. If you hand a FedEx driver a package for delivery, and he takes it home and keeps it, reasoning “if you didn’t want me to keep it, why’d you give it to me?” — the answer is clear: the package doesn’t belong to him. He’s just the middleman. Just because God puts his money in our hands doesn’t mean he intends for it to stay there.
Jesus said, “Give, and you will receive … The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38). God may give some of his children more than they need while others have less so that he can use his children to help one another. When those with abundance give to those in need, one person’s material need is met while the other is freed from hoarding and learns generosity. Too often we assume God entrusts more to us to increase our standard of living, yet his stated purpose is to increase our standard of giving.
Chapter 14 — Helping the Poor and Spreading the Gospel
Freewill giving naturally raises the question of whom we should help and how. In Jesus’ account of the final judgment, the King separates people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. To those on his right — the sheep — he says: “I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.” When the righteous ask when they saw him in those conditions, the King replies: “When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me” (Matthew 25:34–40).
The goats are condemned not because they actively harmed those in need, but because they failed to help them. We cannot wash our hands of responsibility to the poor by saying, “I’m not doing anything to hurt them.” We must actively be doing something to help them.
Scripture also recognizes that poverty has different causes, and responsible help responds accordingly. Some poverty results from circumstances outside a person’s control; other poverty may be worsened by persistent laziness or irresponsibility (Proverbs 24:30–34). In the latter case, ongoing support without accountability can remove the incentive to change. Paul was blunt about those able but unwilling to contribute: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
God’s own model for helping the poor preserved their dignity. The corners of the fields were left uncut so that people in need could gather food themselves. Provision was available, but the recipients participated in obtaining it. Wise generosity seeks to preserve both compassion and responsibility.
After deciding to give, we must also decide where that giving should begin. The book argues that it should start with your local Bible-believing church, the spiritual community where you’re fed and to which you’re accountable. If the Bible tells us to pay taxes even when funds may be wasted or used for bad purposes, surely we can give to God through our church even when we’re not comfortable with every use of its funds.
Chapter 15 — Discipleship
Generosity does not require every Christian to abandon every possession. When Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John from their fishing nets, they left at once and followed him. But even the apostles didn’t irreversibly divest themselves of all possessions — just ten verses after leaving their nets, they went to Simon and Andrew’s home (Mark 1:29). Levi left to follow Jesus, and the very next verse records a dinner party at Levi’s house (Mark 2:14). Jesus himself served God for years while working as a carpenter and living within an ordinary community. In the same way, most of his disciples serve God as faithful stewards while raising families and working in their communities.
There are two broad callings: one to leave behind normal sources of income for vocational ministry, and another to serve Christ’s cause in a home and community while earning income that can help support those whose calling limits their ability to provide for themselves. The question is not simply whether we possess anything, but how much we can safely keep. The answer is enough to care for our basic needs and some wants, but not so much that large amounts are withheld from higher kingdom causes or that our wealth makes us proud and independent of the Lord.
Chapter 16 — Debt
One danger of pursuing more than God has provided is debt. “Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). God says, “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters” (1 Corinthians 7:23). Borrowers place themselves in a form of servitude to lenders. Israel’s law therefore included a release from debts every seven years (Deuteronomy 15:1–2), while the separate Year of Jubilee every fifty years restored property and released Israelites from forms of economic bondage (Leviticus 25). If we take God’s Word seriously, we should avoid debt when possible and make every effort to get out as soon as we can.
What might be called the “debt mentality” involves a cluster of invalid assumptions: that we need more than God has given us; that God has failed to provide; and that today’s income sufficient for payments guarantees tomorrow’s will be too. Scripture counters directly: “True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth” (1 Timothy 6:6). “Those who love money will never have enough” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Remember: you don’t save money by spending money. If you buy an $80 sweater on sale for $30, you didn’t save anything — you spent $30. Little expenses add up to big problems. Like water from a leaky faucet, money trickles through our hands — a dollar here, ten dollars there. If a swimming pool is full of leaks, pumping in more water will never be enough until you find the leaks and fix them. Two practical steps help greatly: recording expenditures and making a budget. Financial disorder creates immense personal and family stress and can contribute to marital breakdown.
Chapter 17 — Questions and Answers about Debt
God says there is one obligation we can never fully discharge: “Owe nothing to anyone — except for your obligation to love one another” (Romans 13:8). In order to best fulfill that spiritual obligation, we should free ourselves from the burdens of financial debt.
Practical credit card rules follow from that goal: never use credit cards for anything except budgeted purchases; pay the balance in full every month; and the first month you have a bill you cannot pay in full, cut the card in half. Even if you’ve come into debt legitimately, giving to God should remain your first financial priority: “On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait” (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Getting out of debt requires a full plan: repent and change your mind and actions regarding money. Give God the firstfruits immediately. Incur no new debts. Systematically eliminate existing debts through a realistic budget, wise financial counsel, and, if necessary, liquidation of unnecessary assets. List your debts and prioritize repayment by interest rate, paying off the highest-interest debts first.
Chapter 18 — Preparing for the Future
Avoiding debt is only part of wise preparation. Scripture also commends saving: “Fools spend whatever they get” (Proverbs 21:20). “Take a lesson from the ants … they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter” (Proverbs 6:6–8). By God’s inspiration, Joseph devised a careful savings plan in anticipation of the famine in Egypt. During seven plentiful years, 20 percent of the harvest was collected and stored. When the famine came, Egypt could care for its people and provide for others (Genesis 41:25–57).
It’s wise to give first, save second, and spend last. Otherwise we will spend everything and have nothing to give or save. But not all saving is equal. Some save wisely for foreseeable needs; others save out of greed or fear. By stockpiling money, they try to insulate themselves from dependence on God. “A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God” (Luke 12:21).
The same distinction applies to retirement. Nowhere in Scripture does God call healthy people to stop doing useful work. How much of what we think about retirement is based on culture rather than God’s Word? He doesn’t want us to take still-productive minds and bodies and permanently lay them on a beach or lock them in a dark room watching game shows. If we consider “our” retirement funds off limits to God, we’re pretending to be owners rather than God’s money managers. Wise preparation for the future should not become an excuse to withhold resources from God indefinitely.
The conclusion of Schindler’s List makes the danger of waiting painfully concrete. Oskar Schindler spent his fortune bribing Nazi officials and protecting Jewish workers from death. At the end, he looks at his car and his gold pin and weeps because selling them might have enabled him to save more lives. Christians get no second chance to live life over, this time doing more to help the needy and invest in God’s kingdom. The question worth asking now is: what will you one day wish you had given away while you still had the chance? When you come up with an answer, why not give it now?
Chapter 19 — Looking for Returns
The question is not only when we invest or give, but also how our returns are produced. Many Christians evaluate potential profit without considering the companies, partnerships, or practices from which it will come. Paul warns: “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). The book applies this principle by asking whether our investments tie us to work that conflicts with God’s purposes.
Even an ethical investment can become an excuse for delayed obedience. Many sincerely plan to give substantial amounts to God’s work later, reasoning that if their investments do well, they’ll have more to give. But observation shows that countless good intentions are never realized. The market may plummet, the investor’s heart may change, or death may come unexpectedly. By holding on now, are we willing to risk that the money will never end up where God wanted it?
Chapter 20 — Inheritance or Heritage
One common reason for holding wealth until death is the desire to leave a large inheritance. In Old Testament times, passing land to children was essential; without an inheritance, people could lose their livelihood and end up enslaved. Hence: “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children” (Proverbs 13:22). But in affluent modern cultures, inheritances are often windfalls given to people who already have regular incomes and far more than they need. The circumstances that made a large family inheritance essential in the ancient Near East do not necessarily exist in contemporary America.
Andrew Carnegie called inherited wealth “an almighty curse.” Henry Ford stated, “Fortunes tend to self-destruction by destroying those who inherit them.” God says, “An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end” (Proverbs 20:21). We should not transfer substantial wealth to adult children unless we’ve successfully transferred wisdom to them. Without wisdom, wealth will not only be wasted but may damage our children by subsidizing addictions, laziness, or immorality.
Death isn’t your best opportunity to give — it’s the end of your opportunity to give. Giving is voluntarily parting with an asset. We have no choice but to leave money behind when we die, so designating where it goes, though wise, is not the same as making a sacrifice while we are alive. John Wesley made a great deal of money on his books and hymns — about £50,000 in all. Yet at his death his estate was worth only £28 because he had already given so generously to the cause of Christ.
Chapter 21 — In the Family
Passing on wisdom rather than merely wealth requires deliberate training. One practical approach is to give each child three jars labeled “Giving,” “Saving,” and “Spending.” Every time children earn money, they put at least 10 percent into the giving jar first, then distribute the rest between the other two. Once money goes into the giving jar, it is dedicated to the Lord. Children may move money from the spending jar toward giving or saving, but they should not raid money already dedicated to giving or saving in order to spend it.
An effective way to teach children how to spend money properly is to show them how you spend it. Few things are more valuable than teaching the discipline of saying no and modeling delayed gratification. If your child wants a brand-new bicycle, one possible lesson is to offer a loan at the going rate of interest. By the time the debt is paid, the child will understand the cost of borrowing in a way that a lecture could never teach.
Chapter 22 — In the Church
The church should reinforce the same habits of generosity. Jesus told us never to give in order to be seen by others (Matthew 6:1). Yet he also said, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16). There is a way to talk about every good deed, including giving, that does not involve self-praise but instead brings praise to God while offering illumination and encouragement to others.
Ask people at your church to point out “giving warriors” — people who choose a modest, debt-resistant lifestyle and then give away everything they earn above that predetermined lifestyle ceiling to God’s kingdom. The fact that the term “giving warrior” isn’t even in our vocabulary says it all. Better to be seen as fools now in the eyes of other people than to be seen as fools forever in the eyes of an audience of One whose judgment is the only one that will ultimately matter.
Conclusion — Money Management and an Eternal Investment Mentality
We will never manage God’s money well unless we truly believe it is God’s money. Life becomes much clearer when we abandon the false god of our ownership, which manifests itself in a deadly spirit of entitlement. A test of our stewardship is whether we ask God to show us what to do with his money. If we don’t consult him, no matter what we say, we’re behaving as if we were owners, not stewards.
Jesus said it plainly: “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? … No one can serve two masters … You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:10–13).