Treasure Principle

Randy Alcorn is full of pithy sayings. But unlike the aphorisms of many clever writers, his are both wise and convicting. Take his view on earthly existence, for example: I should live not for the dot but for the line, the dot being life here and now and the line being eternity in Heaven with the Lord and Giver of life. Or, God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving, a phrase that might sound trite initially, but reflected on reveals its depth.

Not all of his phrases are equally "neat," but they're all impossible for the Christian to ignore. When he says Giving is the only antidote to materialism, all we can do is repent of the times we've served ourselves and ignored those in need. Which is really the essence of The Treasure Principle—Alcorn challenges us to give what we receive, to look to our heavenly accounts before our earthly ones, to let our joy come from understanding that our wealth is not our own but God's.

If you're not ready to be convicted, don't read this book. Alcorn is humble yet direct, gentle yet totally committed to biblical truth. When he uses illustrations from his own life he's quick to note that things worked out the way they did because God was at work, not because he (Randy) enjoyed any special dispensation of holiness.

This is a small book, highly readable, not so easy to digest. It speaks directly to the behaviour and attitudes of every Christian in a way that's both welcome and hard to hear. He makes a compelling case (straight from the Word of God) that our wealth is not our own, that there is a direct correlation between our attitude toward money and our spiritual health, and that by giving we imitate the One who gives us everything. The Treasure Principle has been a favoritewith Bible studies for the last ten years, and our prayer is that it will continue to be so.

Table of Contents:

Introduction
1. Buried Treasure
2. Compounding Joy
3. Eyes on Eternity
4. Roadblocks to Giving
5. Getting Started
6. For Such a Time As This
   Discussion Questions
   Endnotes
   Resources