Archives by: Gary Hoag

“There is within the human heart a tough, fibrous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess. It covets things with a deep and fierce passion…Things have become necessary to us, a development never originally intended. God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution.”

A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) in The Pursuit of God (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1982) 22.

Jesus lays out three basic principles that would transform our lives if we only applied them. In summary they are:

1. Our possessions are to be used as a tool to further God’s
kingdom here on earth;
2. They are given to us as a test to see how much responsibility we will be given in heaven;
3. They serve as a trademark to those around us that we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wesley K. Willmer in God and Your Stuff (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002) 13.

“To learn to give generously, therefore, is not primarily to deny self vigorously, but to learn to love generously as we are so loved [by God]. Giving generously is about loving generously.”

Walt Russell in the booklet: Generous Loving, Generous Giving (La Mirada: BIOLA, 2011) 2.

“The only way we can confront money’s power of possessiveness is by giving it away freely and cheerfully, from the wonderful blessings we have received from God.”

Charles Cloughen, Jr. in One Minute Stewardship Sermons (Harrisburg: Morehouse, 1997) 11.

“Let your works of charity to men be accompanied with prayer and thanksgiving unto God. Render thanks unto God, that he hath put you among the givers, and not among the receivers, it being a lot more blessed thing to give than receive: that he hath put you among the givers and not the withholders: that he hath given you something to give, and a heart to distribute of your abundance to the needy, and to the furtherance of the establishing of the kingdom of Christ on earth.”

Thomas Gouge (1609-1681) illumination quote in the NIV Stewardship Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009) 172.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15

“Think about the key words we place before the material things we desire during the course of a day: “I want”, “I need” or “I love.”  Now, replace these material things with Christ and use the same key words. We should all want, need and love Christ and our thoughts should always be of Him.”

Randy Hain in the article “Surrogate Gods, Surrogate Parents.”

“An effective detachment from everything we have and are is necessary if we are to follow Jesus and if we are to open our hearts to our Lord, who is passing by and calls out to us. On the other hand, attachment to earthly things closes our doors to Christ and closes the doors to love and to any possibility of understanding what is most essential in our lives.” (Cf. Luke 16:19-31, our earthly attachments cause us to miss the poor like the rich man simply did not notice Lazarus).

Francis Fernandez from his book, In Conversation with God, as quoted by Randy Hain in the article: “Surrogate Gods, Surrogate Parents.”

“Our perspective on and handling of money is a litmus test of our true character. It is an index of our spiritual life. Our stewardship of money tells a deep and consequential story. It forms our biography. In a sense, how we relate to money and possessions is the story of our lives.”

Randy Alcorn in Money, Possessions and Eternity (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1989) 21-22, as cited by Wesley K. Willmer in God and Your Stuff (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002) 26.

“The more wealth replaces God in our lives the less we have need for him. C.S. Lewis puts it this way: “Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is ‘finding his place in it,’ while really it is finding its place in him.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Screwtape Letters (New York: Macmillan, 1951) 143, as cited by Wesley K. Willmer in God and Your Stuff: The Vital Link Between Your Possessions and Your Soul (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002) 26.

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

“Our central business here on earth is to prepare for the next life, not for a comfortable retirement.”

Wesley K. Willmer in God and Your Stuff: The Vital Link Between Your Possessions and Your Soul (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002) 25.