Giving & Stewardship

God's purpose for us as His children is often frustrated by our preoccupation with money—making it, spending it, investing it and accumulating it. We often fail to realize there are certain ways God will (and will not!) use money to further His work in our lives. Rejecting the common religious myths about money will put us in position for God to work through our finances. We examine seven specific ways He does this, as well as five guidelines that can help us recognize when God is not in control so we can get back on track.

There's an important difference between prosperity (the accumulation of goods on this earth) and posterity (the heritage we leave our children and the generations that come after us). Our financial decisions influence both the quality and quantity of time we have available to invest in the lives of our children. Ultimately it's our decision whether we use money to chase things that won't last, or invest in things that will last forever.

The Scriptures encourage prudent financial planning. We are to save for the future, setting aside funds to carry us through unexpected financial difficulties or as part of a long-term retirement savings strategy. Unfortunately, many Americans do a poor job of this. However, it's also possible to go to the other extreme and attempt to stockpile money far beyond any reasonable expectation of need. Where is the balance? Randy Alcorn addresses this question, reminding us that God is our ultimate source of security.

The Bible contains over 2,500 verses dealing with money and finances. If you had to pick just one, which of these passages would you say is the most important? Austin proposes an answer that's likely quite different than you'd expect.

Do you have a big vision for your financial stewardship? Your financial decisions have the potential for life-changing blessings and eternal impact. Making good ones helps us live to our full potential, and brings a smile to the face of the Father.

Our giving practices often reveal clues about the depth of our response to God's incredible commitment to us. Prompted by his faithfulness, we can move in the direction of becoming the kind of cheerful and grateful givers that delight His heart.

How's your giving plan coming along? That question would strike most people as odd, since most people don't have a giving plan. But our joy in giving can be diminished if it becomes just another line in our overall budget—one item out of many competing for scarce resources in our "Family Portfolio." Alan Gotthardt challenges us to view our giving as a completely separate entity, and to use wise financial planning principles to construct an "Eternity Portfolio" with implications and rewards that will resonate forever.

We are physical people. Nothing says "real" to us like being able to see, touch, and feel something. But what if we've got it backwards, and the assets we can see, touch, and feel are only temporary? Ralph Doudera argues that's precisely the case: The only "real" assets that are permanently ours are those we send on ahead.

What can the movie Chariots of Fire teach us about handling our finances from a biblical perspective? For starters, that if you're pursuing financial stewardship merely because it's expected of you as a disciple, you've only got half the picture.

Have I really surrendered 100% to God, or am I merely asking Him to join me in what I'm doing? It's an important question that can lead to surprising outcomes.

The ideal of living a "purpose driven life" has captured the imagination of the Christian community in recent years. But while it sounds great in theory, few people ever put in the time to clearly identify their own personal life purpose. In this excerpt from his book Your Money Map, Crown Financial Ministries' co-founder Howard Dayton explains the process of how to identify your purpose. He shows that, because a clear purpose is the starting point for setting meaningful goals, it's well worth the effort.

If you were to become a multimillionaire, would it affect your approach to stewardship? How would you decide how much you would give back to the Lord versus how much you would keep for yourself? Would your giving all be channeled through your local church, or would you want to directly support a variety of other organizations as well? Here is a first-person account of how one SMI couple approached this unusual test of their spiritual maturity.

With SMI readers looking at a fifth consecutive year of stock gains, it's time to review one of the more efficient ways to give to charity. Donating stock directly to charity can mean both a larger gift for the ministry you want to bless and a larger contribution deduction for you. As you might expect, certain rules apply to such a good deal. We provide the details.

Few decisions a couple can make have the eternity-altering impact of adopting a child. But for those who've never been through it before, the process can feel overwhelming. Here are six pointers our author offers from first-hand experience.

Giving out of our abundance is relatively easy. But giving when we're in need — that's when the rubber really hits the road and our true beliefs are tested.

Your giving is a tangible indicator of your zeal for God, your gratitude for the cross, and your trust in His faithfulness—whether you want it to be or not. Does that strike you as good news, or make you wince? In either case, we've got a free gift to offer that can help you excel in this grace of giving.

We all wrestle with the tension between work and family. Life is full of tradeoffs; uncomfortable compromises made to stretch scarce resources further than they can gracefully reach. But what would happen if instead of slighting your time at home, you slighted your time at work?

Stanton Lanier thought he had found his life calling. But when he really began surrendering 100% to God, he started to hear a different call. He shares four principles the Lord has showed him about pursuing our true passions.

The measure of a life can look dramatically different when viewed through the lens of eternity. There's tremendous value in gaining that perspective now, while time remains to craft a legacy you can be proud of forever.

God owns it all. Your name may be attached to all the accounts and property under your control, but only temporarily. You are merely a steward, and you're going to leave it all behind. But you are able to choose God's next steward of this property, and that's an extremely important decision. In this excerpt from his book, Splitting Heirs, financial planner and teacher Ron Blue explains the importance—to your loved ones and the Kingdom—of making this important selection now, and offers three guiding principles.

Most financial gifts from grandparents to grandchildren are given with the best intentions, so why do so many produce unintended consequences? Russ Crosson, President and CEO of national financial planning firm Ronald Blue & Company, has seen this issue many times over the years and offers some guiding principles for grandparent giving.

Most financial gifts from grandparents to grandchildren are given with the best intentions, so why do so many produce unintended consequences? Russ Crosson, President and CEO of national financial planning firm Ronald Blue & Company, has seen this issue many times over the years and offers some guiding principles for grandparent giving.

A study of God's provision in scripture brings to light an incredibly encouraging truth: God can absolutely be counted on to provide everything necessary for us to carry out His plans. He knows exactly what resources we need to be in His will, and He always makes them available.

Time has a way of slipping through our fingers. Our routine of waking, living, and sleeping lulls us into feeling it will always be so. But it won't. "Teach us to number our days," wrote Moses, a plea for a sense of urgency in living we would be wise to emulate.

This month marks the 200th issue of Sound Mind Investing. Looking back at almost 17 years of publishing, it's amazing to review all that God has allowed us to experience and accomplish. But the story of SMI doesn't begin in July of 1990 with the first batch of 500 newsletters. No, the story really goes back 20 years further, to a little booklet the Lord used to change our lives forever…

To make us more usable God doesn't make us stronger, He makes us weaker. Austin recounts his personal experience with this truth as he reflects on the first 15 years of SMI.

In his book Visioneering, Andy Stanley builds a compelling case for the necessity of a clear, God-ordained vision for each of the roles in your life. Honoring God involves discovering His picture of what your life could and should be, what you can and should accomplish. Everyone ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose. Those are the ones with vision. Stanley focuses here on dealing with three primary distractions that will inevitably try to come between you and your vision.

According to financial counselor David Bragonier, "Managing your money is similar to building a house." To build your financial dream house, you need to start with the basics — you need a floorplan and you need to lay the foundation. Even before those steps, however, the ground needs to be prepared. That vital preliminary task, along with some important safety instructions, is the subject of this article. As a new year gets underway, now is the time to make sure these bases are covered.

One of the more counterintuitive ideas in scripture is the idea of giving despite having needs. The example of the widow's mite challenges us still today. Larry Burkett offers encouragement to those considering tithing while still having debt.

Anyone who is committed to following Jesus Christ would likely agree that our stewardship decisions should reflect His character and righteousness. The problem comes in applying that principle in everyday living. In this article on the ethics that should govern our money management decisions, we review the basics of the "socially responsible investing" (SRI) movement and discuss the distinction we draw between direct and indirect involvement in approaching these issues here at Sound Mind Investing.

Companies primarily benefit from our spending on their products, making the withdrawal of those purchases a powerful weapon in the hands of a motivated group of consumers. We explore four reasons why these type of strategic boycotts can be so effective.

What is a stewardship coach? Who qualifies? The answers may surprise you, and if you're wired a certain way, challenge you to consider taking on a surprisingly fulfilling role.

How should the financial planning process differ for the Christian than the non-Christian? Guest author Steve Humphrey offers his thoughts, and concludes with a key question every Christian should answer as part of their financial planning process.

God has always called His people to be different. But the spirit of our day—even among many Christians—is materialism, which displaces a zeal for God with a zeal for stuff. If we're to be different from this cultural norm, rather than living lives characterized by clutter, we'll seek a spirit epitomized by simplicity. Bob Benson encourages us in this without laying on the guilt. Illustrating his points with humorous tales we can all relate to, he reflects on the freedom and contentment found in a life of simplicity.

Donor-Advised Funds are quickly becoming some of the most popular charitable giving tools in the country. They offer the giver flexibility, simplicity, and if needed, a way to handle "complex" gifts. Make no mistake, it's not just the ultra-wealthy who can benefit from these giving tools. See who might be a good fit for a DAF, and learn why in many cases it's a more effective tool than a private foundation.