Randy Alcorn: Squandering

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Now [Jesus] was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.” Luke 16:1

“God prospers me not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving. God comes right out and tells us why He gives us more money than we need. It’s not so we can find more ways to spend it. It’s not so we can indulge ourselves and spoil our children. It’s not so we can insulate ourselves from needing God’s provision. It’s so we can give — generously.

When God provides more money, we often think, This is a blessing. Well, yes, but it would be just as scriptural to think, This is a test. The money manager has legitimate needs, and the Owner is generous — He doesn’t demand that His stewards live in poverty, and He doesn’t resent our making reasonable expenditures on ourselves.

But suppose the Owner sees us living luxuriously in a mansion, driving only the best cars, and flying first-class? Or buying only expensive clothes and electronic gadgets and eating at the best restaurants? Isn’t there a point when, as His stewards, we can cross the line of reasonable expenses? Won’t the Owner call us to account for squandering money that’s not ours?”

Randy Alcorn The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving (Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2001) 75-76.

No one wants to be accused of “squandering” the Master’s resources. Alcorn points the way for us by encouraging us to make reasonable expenditures. It’s not easy. The world tells us that everything it offers is a need rather than a want so it can be hard for us to be content.

Alcorn unlocks the proverbial secret passage way forward. We must realize that God prospers us, not to raise our “standard of living” but rather our “standard of giving” to the things He cares about. How do we do this practically? We live on a budget. We map how much is enough and we share the rest.

Living within our means and giving according to our means sound like foreign concepts to most Americans. On 3 June 2013, Gallup reported that “two-thirds of Americans do not live on a budget and only 32% of Americans prepare a detailed written or computerized budget.” A budget sets guardrails for spending to help us avoid squandering the Master’s money.

Need help? Check out lesson seven of my Good and Faithful series, “Budgeting: Put to Work What God Provides”. It’s free to watch. I echo Alcorn when I say to my students: This is a test. Thankfully it’s an open-book test. The book is the Bible, and it contains all the wisdom we need.