Paul Luckraft reviews 'The Treasure Principle' by Randy Alcorn (Multnomah Press, 2005).

When someone offered me this small book I accepted it willingly and gratefully as something that could be useful and potentially worth reviewing as another resource on the topic of money. I had no idea of the impact it would have: once I started reading it I realised that I had been given a treasure in itself.

The theme of the book is simple but profound – the joy of giving. This is the ‘treasure principle’ of the title. The author claims that “Once you grasp it and put it into practice, nothing will ever look the same. And believe me, you won’t want it to” (p5).

This biblical principle has always been there, but too often it has conveniently been ignored. Unlocking its secret is the aim of the book (as outlined in the subtitle, 'Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving'). Once you grasp what the Bible teaches on this topic, it becomes obvious. The only problem is deciding to live that way, with all the radical implications for the way we handle money.

Where the Heart is

The book offers no hype or false promises, just sound, biblical wisdom encapsulated in an easy-to-understand way. The six main chapters each make a single point which contributes towards the whole principle. Each point is straightforward, but taken together the overall impact is very powerful.

We are reminded first that we own nothing. God owns everything and we are simply his money-managers. Secondly, we are to realise that our hearts always follow where we put God’s money (Matt 6:21). Effectively, look at your credit card statement and you’ll see where your heart is.

God owns everything and we are simply his money-managers.

The next key points are that Heaven, not earth, is our home, and that we should always take the long-term view rather than seeking immediate pleasure. “Live for the line, not the dot” is the pithy way this is expressed.

We are then shown that giving is the antidote to materialism. This is how to combat the suffocation that material possessions bring upon our lives. Finally, we must realise that God prospers us not to raise our standard of living, but our standard of giving.

Worth its Weight in Gold

The book closes with “31 radical liberating questions to ask God about your giving”, a sort of check-up to see where you are so far, with short prayers and confessions to help make any necessary changes.

God prospers us not to raise our standard of living, but our standard of giving.

This little, pocket-sized book is worth its weight in gold, and more. Buy it. In fact, buy several and give them away – joyfully! The reward for both giver and receiver will be immense!

'The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving' (128pp) is available from Amazon in a variety of formats. You may also be interested in Gottfried Hetzer’s 2018 book, 'Money ... The Great Deception'.