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Chapter 10

Christians often give lip service to

God as the One who owns their earthly

possessions, especially their money. Their

lives don’t always reflect that lip service,

however. The Apostle Paul warns the

“love of money is the root of all kinds of

evil” (1 Timothy 6:10) and the love of

money brings out the ugliness in us.

Maybe that is why the NIV has 114

references to money, among them these

two:

The Christian who is searching for

direction on how to handle finances will

find excellent guidelines in Scripture.

Money itself is not evil. In the gospel of

Luke, chapter 16, Jesus explains wealth

can be a blessing or a curse, depending

on how we use it. Will we use it to

exercise power over others? Will we use it

for self-indulgence? Will we use it to

serve others? Our perception of money

can enhance or distort our values, make

us selfish or selfless, encourage us to take

advantage of others or help others, cause

us to thank God or—sadly—to hide

from God: “And some people, craving

money, have wandered from the true

faith and pierced themselves with many

sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10b NLT).

Manage Your Resources Wisely

In this chapter we have looked at

family resources as they relate to time,

energy, and money. How we exercise

responsibility for our possessions is a test

of character, values, and stewardship.

Jesus said if we are trustworthy with

little, we will be trustworthy with much

(see Luke 19:16–19). The converse is also

true—if we are dishonest in the little

things, we will be dishonest in bigger

things (see vv. 20–24).

Consider Your Body a Valuable

Possession.In reviewing the effects of

Living the Life of a Good Steward:

A Christian Perspective

• “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” (1 Timothy 6:9).


• “But mark this: There will be
  terrible times in the last days. People
  will be lovers of themselves, lovers
  of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
  disobedient to their parents,
  ungrateful, unholy, without love,
  unforgiving, slanderous, without
  self-control, brutal, not lovers of the
  good, treacherous, rash, conceited,
  lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
  of God—having a form of godliness
  but denying its power. Have nothing
  to do with them”(2 Timothy 3:1–5).