## I believe the only way to break the power of materialism is first, to see ourselves as stewards that God has entrusted these money and possessions to, and second, to give. Jesus says, *“It is more blessed to give than to receive”* ([Acts 20:35](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%2020.35)).

As long as I still have something, I believe I own it. But when I give it away, I relinquish the control, power, and prestige that come with wealth. At the moment of release, the light turns on. The magic spell is broken. My mind clears, and I recognize God as owner, myself as servant, and other people as intended beneficiaries of what God has entrusted to me.

The New Testament offers guidelines for giving that can help us fight the pull of materialism:

1. __Give.__ Giving affirms Christ’s lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him. It breaks the chains of mammon that would enslave me and transfers my center of gravity to Heaven.
2. __Give generously.__ How much is generous? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. If you’ve never tithed, start there—then begin to stretch your generosity.
3. __Give regularly.__ Stewardship is not a once-a-year consideration, but a week-to-week, month-to-month commitment requiring discipline and consistency.
4. __Give deliberately.__ Giving is at its best when it’s a conscious effort that’s repeatedly made.
5. __Give voluntarily.__ When we catch a vision of God’s grace, we will give *beyond* our duty.
6. __Give sacrificially.__ We don’t like risky faith. We like to have our safety net below us. But we miss the adventure of seeing God provide when we’ve really stretched ourselves in giving.
7. __Give excellently.__ Paul says, *“See that you also excel in this grace of giving”* ([2 Corinthians 8:7](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Cor%208.7)).
8. __Give cheerfully__. If we’re not cheerful, the problem is our heart, and the solution is redirecting our heart, not withholding our giving.
9. __Give worshipfully.__ Our giving is a reflexive response to God’s grace. It doesn’t come out of our altruism—it comes out of the transforming work of Christ in us.
10. __Give more as you make more.__ Remember: God prospers us not to raise our standard of living, but to raise our standard of giving.
11. __Give quietly.__ Showiness in giving is always inappropriate. (But sometimes our acts of righteousness *will* be seen by men and even *should* be.)

*[Image](https://www.epm.org/static/cache/6d/d4/6dd4f2b4249c2c09db083d5ed22590c1.jpg) used with permission.*

Eternal Perspective Ministries, founded and directed by author Randy Alcorn, is focused on investing in what lasts for eternity, and helping others to do the same.

Eternal Perspective Ministries

Articles

The only way to break the power of materialism is to do these two things...

Eleven Giving Guidelines to Fight the Pull of Materialism

Michael Blue

The Bible contains more verses on money and possessions than nearly any other topic. Howard Dayton teaches that there are over 2,300 of such verses. With so much said in the Bible on this topic, it’s no wonder that there’s confusing and contradictory teachings within the church. While the teachings on money are all over the place in our churches, a faithful study of the Bible paints a surprisingly consistent picture. Taken as a whole, the Bible provides some very clear themes and teachings on money and possessions. These teachings help us identify and defend against bad and misleading teaching in this area. In my upcoming book, *Free to Follow: Discover the riches of a surrendered life*, I take a chapter to unpack the Bible’s five overarching themes on money. Below they are presented in summary form.

1. __Creation is a good gift to enjoy and steward for God’s glory.__ From the beginning, the Bible teaches us that everything God created was good (Gen. 1:31). Not only that, but God gave us the task of caring for his good creation (Gen. 1:28). “One key in properly enjoying God’s creation is to enjoy it in tandem with our call to steward the earth. This means not thinking only of ourselves, and not treasuring the creation over the Creator. That means living lives of simple enjoyment both for our well-being and the well-being of others. Jesus tells us that this is the proper way to view and use creation—use it, but don’t place your joy or hope in it. Don’t get sucked into the trap of believing that a bunch of created things can bring lasting joy.” (ch. 4) *How are you enjoying and stewarding creation for God’s glory?*
2. __God will not be second (i.e., do not worship creation).__ When God appoints man to steward His creation, man almost immediately questions the goodness of God, rejects His good plan, and chooses the creation of the Creator. Man puts God in second place. This leads God to command and teach His people to worship Him and Him alone. “What we see over and over in the Bible is that God will not settle for second place. He demands to be preeminent, not merely a part of our lives. When we put anything before God, we become separated from him, and following him becomes impossible.” (ch. 4) In the New Testament, we see Jesus highlight money as a particularly destructive idol that people easily place above God (Luke 16:13). The warnings that accompany this verse are breathtaking. If we put money above God, the result is that we end up hating and despising God. Money is indeed a dangerous idol. *How have you put money in the place that belongs to God in your life?*
3. __Greed and covetousness destroy our relationship with God and are two of the chief means of turning our hearts from God.__ A detailed study of the Bible reveals that greed and covetousness are regularly warned against as being deadly to our relationship with God. From the laws in the Old Testament, to the examples of the kings of Israel, to the vast teaching in the New Testament, it is clear that greed is a deadly sin that must be dealt with. “The Bible lists covetousness in its hall of fame of sins. It calls greedy people unfruitful fools who invite God’s wrath while flittering away their eternal inheritance. When I’m greedy, when I’m rich toward myself and not toward God or others, when I believe more is the answer, I’m providing evidence that I’m not following Jesus.” (ch. 4) *How has greed and covetousness damaged your relationship and intimacy with God?*
4. __Wealth is dangerous, therefore be abundantly careful.__ The warnings, testimonies, and dangers about idolatry and greed are overwhelming in the Bible. Just look at a few of the warnings from Jesus, “He tells us that riches choke out God’s words and make us unfruitful (Matt. 13:22). He tells us that riches bring about worry, vanity, false security, oppression of the weak, and indifference to the needy (Matt. 6:25–34; 18:23–25; 25:31–46; Luke 10:29–37; 12:22–34; 14:17–21; 16:22–26). He says that riches make it hard to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 19:23; Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30).” (ch. 4) It is odd to me how many warnings there are in the Bible about the dangers of wealth and how few take them seriously. These warnings are everywhere and they are for us to consider seriously. *How have you seen wealth draw you or others away from God or the church?*
5. __How we use our wealth demonstrates what we believe and treasure.__ The passages dealing with this last theme are some of the most challenging in the whole Bible. They warn us that when we use money to pursue the things of the world, we are demonstrating that we don’t love God (1 John 2:15–17). They warn that when we “characteristically fail to use our money to care for the poor, we demonstrate we’re not children of God” (James 2:17–17, 1 John 3:17). Finally, they demonstrate that when I fail to use my money to care for my persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ, I reveal that God doesn’t know me (Matt. 25:41–43). These passages reveal the truth that how we use our money will reveal what we believe about God. It matters how we use our money. While we can’t spend our way to salvation, we can examine our spending and see the true condition of our hearts. *What does your spending reveal about what you believe and treasure the most?*

__To learn more about what the Bible says about money and possessions, see the following resources:__

Blomberg, Craig (2000). *__Neither Poverty nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions.__* Grand Rapids: IVP Academic.

Blue, Michael (2020). __*Free to Follow: Discover the riches of a surrendered life*.__ Austin, TX: Thirsty Land Press. (release date, late 2020)

Platt, David (2010). __*Secret Church: The gospel, possessions, and prosperity*. __Birmingham: Radical.

The Ron Blue Institute seeks to be a thought leader with great influence committed to changing the way Christians think, act, and communicate about financial stewardship, empowering the church, and changing the world.

Ron Blue Institute

The Bible contains more verses on money and possessions than nearly any other topic.

Overarching Biblical Themes on Money and Possessions

## What do I do next?

This is a common and good question. You need a path to financial health and generous living. A milestone is an important marker on a journey. It is a point of celebration. So, let's look at eight important milestones on your path to living generously.

### Milestone 1: Start giving.

God designed giving to be our first financial priority. You might already give. Keep it up. You may need to start. Let's get going. Don't miss out on what God has in store for you and your money.

### Milestone 2: Save $1,500 for a minor emergency.

You are going to get hit with unexpected expenses--a flat tire, a refrigerator that no longer cools, or a washing machine that no longer washes. Protect your generosity and avoid credit cards by having $1,500 set aside.

### Milestone 3: Max out your 401(k) or 403(b) match.

If your employer offers a contribution match, take it. Do not miss out on this incredible return on your money. Max out your match, but do not go beyond it.

### Milestone 4: Pay off all debt except your mortgage.

Now it's time to pay off your debts. Get rid of those high interest rate payments. Use the Snowball Method—paying off your smallest debt balances first.


![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/df81d0146a554f6c9a51a21ae7d95d4f.jpg/v1/fill/w_1480,h_987,al_c,q_90/df81d0146a554f6c9a51a21ae7d95d4f.webp)


### Milestone 5: Save 3 to 6 months of living expenses for a job-loss emergency.

Major medical emergencies happen. Layoffs happen. Boost your emergency savings. Your number should be based on your actual living expenses and not your income.

### Milestone 6: Put 15% of your gross income to retirement.

Ramp up retirement contributions. If you are approaching retirement, check out a retirement calculator or meet with an advisor to see if you need to do more than 15%.

### Milestone 7: Save for college or pay off your mortgage.

Both are good options. If you have kids, I recommend the former first. If college costs are not a concern, knock out that mortgage.

### Milestone 8: Live generously.

As your financial health has strengthened, so has your generosity. Now is the time to take your generosity to a whole new level. Live more openhandedly than you ever have before. Make a difference in the lives of those around you. Make a difference for the sake of Kingdom advancement. Make an impact for all eternity.

> __Make an impact for all eternity.__

Putting yourself in a position where you can live generously is not always easy. But these steps will help you get there. They will help you get to a place where your concern is not about which credit card payment to make, but which person or organization you can help.

([image](https://www.artrainer.com/post/the-8-money-milestones) used with permission)

You were meant for more. Your money was meant for more. You and your money are meant for an exciting, adventurous, and satisfying purpose. You were designed to live and give generously. And deep inside you know this and want this.

Art Rainer

Savings

What do I do next?  You need a path to financial health and generous living, a set of defined milestones.

The 8 Money Milestones

God’s Word tells believers to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” But it seems that economics is making that ever more difficult. We’ll talk about it with Chad Clark.
Our guest Chad Clark is normally behind the scenes, making things happen as the Executive Director of MoneyWise. But he’s also a keen observer of financial trends, so he joins us to talk about the rising cost of raising a child. Clark shares some interesting statistics about what it costs to be a parent these days.
<ul><li>According to the Brookings Institute, a married couple with two children will spend upwards of $310,605 to raise both children thru age 17.</li><li>Raising kids these days includes a range of expenses: housing, food, clothing, healthcare, child care, diapers, haircuts, and things like sports equipment or dance lessons.</li><li>And raising kids isn’t getting any less expensive. In the short term, inflation is going to continue to play a substantial role.</li><li>Prices for food at home <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-inflation-hit-households-in-july-higher-prices-for-food-electricity-and-alcohol-consumed-at-home-11660160532?mod=article_inline">were up 13.1% in July</a> compared with the year before, adding pressure to household budgets.</li><li>Even though inflation eased a bit in July, down to 8.5%, food prices continued to climb in July, up 10.9% on an annual basis.</li><li>Clark shares four financial keys to raising kids:</li><li>1. Have a spending plan</li><li>2. Track your expenditures</li><li>3. Communicate with your spouse</li><li>4. Communicate with your children </li></ul>On this program, Rob also answers listener questions: 
<ul><li>How should you go about preparing to sell your home?</li><li>What is the best way to evaluate a financial advisor?</li></ul>RESOURCES MENTIONED: 
<ul><li><a href="https://www.moneywise.org/find">Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor</a> </li></ul>Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000 or email them to <a href="mailto:questions@moneywise.org">Questions@MoneyWise.org</a>. Also, visit our website at <a href="http://moneywise.org/">MoneyWise.org</a> where you can connect with a MoneyWise Coach, join the MoneyWise Community, and even download the free MoneyWise app.

Biblical Wisdom For Your Financial Journey

MoneyWise

MoneyWise is a daily radio ministry of MoneyWise Media. Hosted by Rob West and Steve Moore, the program offers a practical, biblical and good-natured approach to managing your time, talents and resources.

MoneyWise with Rob West

Psalm 127 reads, “Children are a heritage from the Lord like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.” ﻿God’s Word also tells us to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” but it seems that economics is making that difficult.

The Cost of Raising a Child With Chad Clark

Produced by John Rinehart
Directed by John-Mark Warkentin
Cinematography by Brian Petersen
Edit by Brian Petersen
Music by Chad Lawson
Consultant Jason Suhr
Sign Language Interpreter William Ross
— Film Transcription Below —

Kim Stamper: God's word is life and I couldn't have gone through this without it.

He hired me and it was a three-interview process. So I interviewed with several people and not just him.

Rich Stamper: So of course she was very cute and she turned out to be very engaging and seemed very intelligent, and was very willing to come join us. That’s how we met.

A couple of years ago it was presented to us some of the needs of Bible Translation for the deaf.

I've never known any deaf people. Kim had never known any deaf people, but to be told that's a need…

Mandy Tucker: The season of life after we moved out of the country, to the farm was busy. It was, it was fun. It is fun, but busy.

Brad Tucker: We wanted our children to grow up in an environment that would teach them the value of hard work.

Mandy: I have always wanted twins. I just thought, “Oh, that’s cool.” I, I would love to have twins. I would just like to have twins. And so I got pregnant.

Brad: The nurse and the doctor said, you know, “You're, you're pregnant with twins.”

Mandy: Everything looked good until one night… it didn't.

Brad: I remember when we went in to hear the heartbeat, getting the news at that time there was no heartbeat.

Kim: We were just sitting out on one of the main streets just kind of people watching and I go, “You don't feel good do you?” And he was like, “No.” And I go, “We're going to the hospital, right now.”

Rich: The hallway was dark that we walked down. And it was a strange eerie feeling of darkness.

Kim: Richard said my head hurts. My head's been hurting for a while and it doesn't go away when I take Advil. And so he immediately said, “Well let's start with the C.T. scan.”

Gets Richard, takes him back for the C.T. scan. Richard comes back and we wait.

And he looks back at Richard and is like, “It's bad. You have a brain tumor.”

Rich: Virtual emergency brain surgery was the only option.

Kim: What do we do now? What about our kids?

Brad: A week goes by and we go back in.

Mandy: And I just believed in my heart we’re going to see these heartbeats, two little hearts beating. But God chose to say no.

It felt like everybody else's life had moved forward, but I was kind of at a standstill. A lot of the time felt like God had forgotten.

Brad: What you've wanted, what your wife has always wanted, is not what God has wanted for you at this time.

Rich: C.T. scans, PET scans, MRIs, brain surgery, Gamma knife radiation, a trial. Blood tests every third day.

Having money when you're faced with that is meaningless. It's meaningless.

Brad: Guess how many people are deaf?

Lil' Tess: A hundred and ninety.

Brad: That's a pretty good guess. But did you know that there are 70 million people in the world that are deaf?

Lil' Tess: No.

Brad: That's a lot.

Lil' Tess: I can only count to 100. That’s all.

Brad: Yeah, did you know that there are over 400 different sign languages in the world?

Lil' Tess: Um, no.

Rich: The oncologist told us, “9 out of 10 people die within a year with what you have right now.”

Kim:We got the news no one ever wants to get. No one ever wants to hear. No one ever thinks it's gonna be them.

Rich: I felt most alone when she would continue to tell me, “You're gonna be okay.” I felt like she doesn't understand. It's not her fault. She's not in my shoes.

It made me have to look death right in the face.

And that's when I, by myself, talked to God. I said, “God I surrender. I've never really actually said those words to you. But please spare me. Spare my life. I surrender to you.”

Kim: We made the commitment to give and it was the largest amount we'd ever given in our lifetime. And it felt good and we felt like we were following what God wanted us to do.

Rich: I could be gone tomorrow or Kim could be gone tomorrow. And the last thing we want to do is be gone and not be giving it away now.

Brad: It took time to mourn what we had experienced.

Mandy: Although I questioned it, really deep down, I knew he’s faithful. And maybe it's just not yet.

It was then that we realized, “Wait people don't have the Bible in their own heart language?” You’re kidding me.

Why would we not put our money there?

Brad: About a year after we had miscarried, Mandy was pregnant again and we were blessed with a little baby boy named Milo. 18 months later we were blessed with a little baby girl named Tess.

We knew that we wanted to grow our family. We decided that we wanted to adopt.

Mandy: Let's go for twins. We're going to pray for it. We're going to ask the Lord, we're going to believe. We've always wanted twins. Let's do this.

Brad: Filled out all of our paperwork, got everything created, ready, submitted. And the adoption agency that we were working with said, “You know twins isn't very common. You know, would you be willing to, I mean give it a year?”

Because we were rooted in the word of God we chose to hope.

Mandy: So the one year came around and they contacted us and said, “Okay, we need you to sign the papers that you’d be open to a single baby.” And we said, “Okay we'll do that.”

Brad: Mandy signed it. I signed it and sent it back. That same day we get a call:

“There's a birth mother in St. Louis, (three and a half hours from us). She selected your family. She's pregnant with twins.”

So just when you think you know, “God’s let us down again.” He is faithful. Eight days later here comes the baby girls.

Mandy: It was immeasurably more, above and beyond, anything I could ask or imagine.

Rich: Three months after I started my therapy, I got a call from my oncologist, “Richard, it's working.”

I felt really good.

Kim: He was determined cancer free. No cancer. Thank you Lord.

Rich: God is in control of my life. And he really does have other things for us to go do.

Brad: So how do you think those 70 million people would hear about Jesus?

Lil' Tess: Ummm, if they had a Bible?

Brad: If they had a Bible, yep.

Lil' Tess: Umm, we can pray.

Brad: Yeah, we can pray for ‘em. Mommy and Daddy care a lot about people that are deaf.

Lil' Tess: I do!

Brad: I know. You do too.

Brad: We want to help give those people that are deaf the Bible.

Lil' Tess: Um, do you give them money to buy a Bible?

Brad: The way that they are going to get the Bible is through sign languages.

Lil Tess: So, like (signing).

Brad: Yep, so all of those different sign languages they need the Bible to be translated into their own sign language.

Lil Tess: Yeah, but how do we do that?

Brad: Well, so we do that by giving money. Do you think it's important that we should give?

Lil' Tess: Yes! Yes! Yes!

Mandy: I can't imagine not having the Bible. I mean, I have so many Bibles. And I have so many things in my life that that's where I go to.

I want my kids to first of all love the word, um that it becomes very important to them and that they love it. And then I want them to love people. And when you love both then you have to give and love Bible translation. You you want the Bible to go forth to others and especially those that don't have it.

Kim: The goal is to translate God's Word into every language for every nation for every people group in our lifetime. And we wanted to jump in and jump in the deep end.

Rich: As long as there is a need and as long as we have the resources, we'll be giving to deaf Bible translation.

Brad: We feel like such ordinary people getting invited in to do extraordinary things.

Mandy: I can't think of anything more important to put my money on: People and God's word.

Behind every great movement of God are generous leaders who partner with those who proclaim the gospel. We call them Gospel Patrons.

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There's nothing more important to put our money on than people and God's Word

Biblical Wisdom for
Your Financial

Join a community of believers striving to be good and faithful stewards of the resources entrusted to them.

Integrate your faith with your finances

Learn

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Grow in wisdom & knowledge

Overarching Biblical Themes on Money and Possessions

The 8 Money Milestones

The Deaf Shall Hear

The Cost of Raising a Child With Chad Clark

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Steward your finances wisely

MONEYWISE COMMUNITY

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Become a Patron

Grateful for our Partners

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Biblical Wisdom for Your Financial

Join a community of believers striving to be good and faithful stewards of the resources entrusted to them.

Integrate your faith with your finances

Learn

Manage

Connect

Grow in wisdom & knowledge

Overarching Biblical Themes on Money and Possessions

The 8 Money Milestones

The Deaf Shall Hear

The Cost of Raising a Child With Chad Clark

MONEYWISE APP

Steward your finances wisely

MONEYWISE COMMUNITY

Better together

Become a Patron

Grateful for our Partners

So much more than a budgeting app

Create an account

Important Links

Company

Biblical Wisdom for
Your Financial