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| Introduction | |
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| Money and Possessions: Bible | |
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| Starting Right: A Biblical Mind-Set about Money | |
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| Are we faithful in how we handle money? | |
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| Is money really important to God? | |
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| Why so much biblical emphasis on money and possessions? | |
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| Isn't what we do with our money our own business? | |
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| What questions will we one day have to answer? | |
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| Ownership: It All Belongs to God | |
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| What is stewardship, and why is ownership foundational to it? | |
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| Is God really the owner of all? | |
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| How is stewardship synonymous with the Christian life? | |
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| Stewardship: It's under Our Management | |
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| What are the eternal friends and dwellings Jesus speaks of? | |
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| What are the "true riches" Jesus entrusts to some? | |
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| What do Christ's stewardship parables mean? | |
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| What does Jesus teach us about the property owner? | |
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| What does Jesus teach us about the property manager? | |
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| Are we ready for the Owner to return or for us to go to him? | |
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| Perspectives That Impede Faithful Money Management | |
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| "Money Is Bad": A False Spirituality | |
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| Does the Bible say money is evil? | |
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| Is it possible to both follow God and make money? | |
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| Is it right for Christians to have material possessions and enjoy them? | |
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| "It's All about Money": The False God of Materialism | |
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| What's wrong with wanting things? | |
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| Bible stories too close to home? | |
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| What isn't life measured by? | |
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| Is money-love a formula for self-destruction? | |
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| Materialism: Ten Fatal Dangers | |
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| Materialism hinders or destroys our spiritual lives | |
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| Materialism is a broken cistern that can't hold water | |
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| Materialism blinds us to the curses of wealth | |
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| Materialism brings us unhappiness and anxiety | |
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| Materialism ends in futility | |
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| Materialism obscures many of life's greatest blessings | |
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| Materialism spawns independence and self-sufficiency | |
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| Materialism leads to pride and elitism | |
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| Materialism promotes injustice and exploitation | |
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| Materialism fosters immorality and the deterioration of the family | |
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| Battling Materialism in Christian Families | |
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| What is "affluenza"? | |
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| Is there any substitute for a parent? | |
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| What about our children's other teachers? | |
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| How about a field trip to a dump? | |
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| Rethinking Prosperity Theology (Hint: God Is Not Our Genie) | |
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| Doesn't God promise to make us prosperous if we obey him? | |
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| What about Job and Lazarus and godly people who suffer? | |
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| Prosperity or persecution? | |
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| What can we learn about prosperity theology from the apostle Paul? | |
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| So why does God prosper us sometimes? | |
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| Our Stewardship in Eternity's Light | |
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| Two Treasuries, Two Perspectives, Two Masters: Choosing between Two Kingdoms | |
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| How do we keep money and possessions in perspective? | |
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| What does it mean to store up treasures in Heaven? | |
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| Is storing up treasures in Heaven really about giving? | |
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| What is an eternal investment? | |
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| Where do we find the motivation to invest eternally? | |
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| God's Steward's Eternal Destiny: Heaven | |
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| Why is it important to view our present lives through the lens of eternity? | |
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| Is Heaven really a place we should look forward to? | |
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| Will we really eat and drink and spend time with friends? | |
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| Will we rest or work or both? | |
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| God's Steward's Eternal Rewards | |
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| Does God care about what we do on Earth, or only about what we believe? | |
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| Does God hate our good works? | |
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| How powerful is the motivation of eternal reward? | |
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| Is it wrong to be motivated by rewards? | |
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| Whose idea is it for God to grant rewards to faithful stewards? | |
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| Should reward be our only motivation? | |
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| Giving and Sharing God's Money and Possessions | |
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| Tithing: The Training Wheels of Giving | |
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| Where and how do we start giving? | |
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| What exactly does tithing mean? | |
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| Isn't tithing legalism? | |
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| If tithing is no longer a law, could it still be a good idea? | |
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| What if we can't afford to tithe? | |
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| Should we tithe on our gross or our net income? | |
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| Freewill Giving: Overflow of the Grace-Filled Heart | |
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| How does grace giving differ from tithing? | |
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| What do we do with the financial blessings God showers on us in response to our giving? | |
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| Why has God provided more than we need? | |
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| How do we set our own salaries? | |
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| Whose praise do we seek in giving? | |
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| What is sacrificial giving? | |
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| Helping the Poor and Spreading the Gospel: Supporting God's Work with God's Wealth | |
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| Are we to blame for people's poverty? | |
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| Does how we help the poor depend on the reasons why they are poor? | |
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| What's our heart condition as we give to the poor? | |
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| What about giving to world evangelism? | |
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| Where should we give first? | |
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| What if we disagree with how the local church uses money? | |
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| What should we look for when giving to a ministry? | |
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| Wisely Handling God's Money and Possessions | |
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| Discipleship: Choosing a Strategic Lifestyle | |
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| Do we have a right to own land and possessions? | |
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| Should we go out, leaving possessions behind, or stay home and support others? | |
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| What is expected of both goers and stayers? | |
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| How much can we safely keep? | |
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| What's the difference between a simple lifestyle and a strategic one? | |
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| Is it all right to own certain possessions for personal enjoyment? | |
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| Debt: Finding Freedom and Wisdom | |
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| Why is the topic of debt so important? | |
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| Why should debt usually be avoided? | |
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| What else does the Bible say about debt? | |
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| What should we ask ourselves before going into debt? | |
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| What do wise money managers understand about spending and debt? | |
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| Questions and Answers about Debt | |
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| What about borrowing to buy a house? | |
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| Should we have and use credit cards? | |
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| Should we pay off all debts before giving money to God? | |
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| How can we get out of debt? | |
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| Preparing for the Future: Savings Accounts and Retirement Funds | |
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| Why is the topic of saving important? | |
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| Is saving ever wrong? | |
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| How can we approach saving with biblical balance? | |
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| Is retirement biblical, and how much money is enough? | |
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| Is anything "hands off" to God? | |
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| Looking for Returns: Gambling and Investing | |
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| Is gambling okay? | |
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| How does investing differ from gambling? | |
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| Can we be wiser about where we invest God's money? | |
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| Have you received and heeded wise counsel before investing? | |
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| Inheritance or Heritage: What to Leave Behind and What to Send Ahead | |
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| What's different about inheritances in our culture? | |
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| Is it really God's money, or does it belong to our children? | |
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| What's the difference between giving money now and leaving it to good causes when we die? | |
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| Passing the Baton of Wise Stewardship | |
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| In the Family: Teaching Children How to Manage God's Money and Possessions | |
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| How can we help children connect money with work? | |
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| How can we teach children to save? | |
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| How can we help children become generous givers? | |
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| How can we help young children handle money? | |
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| What can families do together to learn good stewardship? | |
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| How can we teach children self-control? | |
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| How can we help children develop good spending habits? | |
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| How can we help children learn greater responsibility? | |
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| Should we help children learn the hard way? | |
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| How can we help children learn to share their possessions? | |
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| How can we help children become thankful? | |
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| How can we leave a legacy of godly stewardship? | |
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| In the Church: Cultivating a Culture of Stewardship and Giving | |
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| How do we teach others about stewardship and giving? | |
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| What resources are available to help people become wiser stewards? | |
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| Is there a right time and place to tell our stewardship and giving stories? | |
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| What can we do now to prepare ourselves for our coming job evaluation? | |
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| Conclusion: Money Management and an Eternal Investment Mentality | |
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| Have you transferred the title deed to God? | |
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| Has God strategically entrusted his assets to you for this time and place? | |
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| What is the spiritual gift of giving, and who has it? | |
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| Are we in danger of overemphasizing giving? | |
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| How seriously will we take what Jesus said? | |
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| What Will You Do Now? | |
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| Acknowledgments | |