swingbeat: 20/26: The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

My church recommended this book for people to read, after a sermon series on "giving". It was only $3 through the church so why not :).

It's a small book, not unlike The Prayer of Jabez, and like Jabez, it's directed at Christian readers. The basic premise is: "why put your wealth and money into material things when it will be gone when you die? Give your money to those that need it, and you will be rewarded in heaven." It then goes on to talk about the joy of giving.

It was a quick, enjoyable read. Maybe it's me at my stage of life. I know that I've been blessed in the material sense more than 90% of the world's population, so I've always had a sense of thankfulness twinged by shame. Without going into too much detail, I do give, but always think about giving more, but am held back by fear. So for me, this book is encouraging in that it tells readers to trust God in their giving, that He'll take care of you; that the more you give, the more you get in return. If not in this life, then in heaven.

This book also goes on to talk about giving even if you are not wealthier than most people you know. Easy to say, but the author talks about his experiences and it's pretty darn encouraging.

So in general, I recommend this book. Especially if you are a Christian, take a peek.