Just like everything that comes out of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Money:God or Gift, by Jamie Munson, is an intensely practical book about stewardship, God's desire for our giving, and our heart's inclination toward God. You'll quickly realize two things as you read through the pages of this slim book. 1) This book has virtually no "fluff" at all, and 2) Our hearts are much more connected to our bank account than we often acknowledge. We are all created to worship something, and this inclination can be expressed both religiously and secularly; as well as intentionally or unconsciously. In our culture we find that money is often times our god of choice, and Christians are often times an example of idolatrous devotion to this false God. We can worship money or we can worship God, not both. The challenge of Money is that it boldly calls you to choose, and confronts the hypocrisy of claiming both. Money is also about stewardship. The theology of stewardship is a mega-theme throughout scripture. Munson says, "Everything we have comes from God and belongs to God: life, family, money, resources, time, job, talents . . .everything. We are stewards of what God has given us. He owns it; we use it." (Money p19) It is off the foundations of worship and stewardship that Money delivers concise theology as well as practical wisdom on how we can handle our finances in a God-glorifying, grace-motivated way.
This book is a gut-check for me. It is bold enough to confront me with my sinful tendencies, encourage me where God's grace is at work, and make me ambitious for future growth. Munson challenges me keep a close watch on my motives and heart, and does not allow me to coast on misleading thoughts. Thoughts like: I'm not in debt so I must be responsible; I tithe so I'm already ahead of the learning curve; Jesus, I've given enough, the rest is mine to do what I want. This book challenges me to think about whether Jesus is really lord of ALL my life, including my credit card. There were points reading this book where I was rejoicing at fruit in my life, sorrowful over sin, and connecting deeply with the themes and topics of this book.
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