Bible References

God Owns Everything, and I Am His Money Manager

• Psalm 24:1 - "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."

• Leviticus 25:23 - "The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants."

• Haggai 2:8 - " ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty."

• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - "You are not your own; you were bought at a price."

• John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

• Deuteronomy 8:18 - "Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth."

• Romans 11:36a - "For from him and through him and to him are all things ..."

• 1 Corinthians 4:2 - "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful."

• Romans 14:10, 12 - "... For we will all stand before God's judgment seat ... So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God."

• Luke 6:38 - "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

My Heart Always Goes Where I Put God's Money

• Ecclesiastes 5:12 - "The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep."

• Proverbs 18:10-11 - "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscaleable wall."

• Matthew 6:19-21 - "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." [emphasis added; cf. Luke 12:34]

This Present World Is Not My Permanent Home

• Philippians 3:20 - "Our citizenship is in heaven."

• Luke 12:15 - "Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' "

• Proverbs 23:4-5 - "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle."

• Psalm 90:10 - "The length of our days is seventy years-or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away."

• Psalm 39:5b - "Each man's life is but a breath."

• 1 Timothy 6:6-7 - "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it."

• 2 Corinthians 8:9 - "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."

• Mark 12:43-44 - "Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on.' "

I Should Not Live Merely for the Moment but for Eternity

• Hebrews 11:25-26 - "[Moses] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward."
• Matthew 25:21 - "His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' "
• Matthew 19:27-29 - "Peter answered him, ‘We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?' Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.' "
• Proverbs 19:17 - "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done."

• Revelation 19:7-8 - " ‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)"

• 2 Corinthians 9:6 - "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."

Giving Is the Only Antidote to Materialism

• Ecclesiastes 5:10, 13-14 - "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless ... I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him."

• Mark 10:21 - "Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,' he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.' "

• 1 Timothy 6:9-10, 17-19 - "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ... Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." [emphasis added]

• Malachi 3:10 - " ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.' "

God Prospers Me to Raise Not My Standard of Living, but My Standard of Giving

• 2 Corinthians 9:10-13 - "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." [emphasis added]

• Luke 12:33 - "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys."

• Acts 20:35b - "[T]he Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

• 2 Corinthians 8:7 - "But just as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-see that you also excel in this grace of giving."

• 2 Corinthians 9:9 - "As it is written: ‘He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.' " [cf. Psalm 112:9]

• 2 Corinthians 9:7b - "[F]or God loves a cheerful giver."

• James 2:14-17 - "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

• 1 John 3:16-18 - "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."