Understanding the Treasure Principle with Randy Alcorn

Mar 11, 2025

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"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… “ - Matthew 6:19-20

Would you like to rethink your approach to money? Six powerful principles can shift your focus from the temporal to the eternal…and best-selling author Randy Alcorn is here to talk you through them.

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM) and the New York Times Bestselling author of more than 60 books, including Heaven, Money, Possessions, and Eternity, The Treasure Principle, and Giving Is the Good Life. His books have been translated into over seventy languages and have sold over ten million copies.

The Foundation: God Owns Everything

When we take our cues from the world, it’s easy to develop a flawed perspective on money. But Romans 12:2 calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That transformation begins with the first principle:

God owns everything, and I am His money manager.

This truth alone can radically change how we view our finances. If everything belongs to God, then we are simply stewards of His resources. Just like a financial manager oversees someone else’s wealth, we must ask God what He wants us to do with what He has entrusted to us. Thankfully, He has provided clear guidance in His Word.

Imagine borrowing a pencil from someone and then breaking it in half. If the pencil belonged to you, that wouldn’t be a big deal. But if it belonged to someone else, breaking it without permission would be wrong. The same is true with money—when we recognize that all we have belongs to God, it changes how we use it.

Our Hearts Follow Our Money

The second principle in The Treasure Principle is equally profound:

Our heart always goes where we put God’s money.

This truth comes directly from Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Many people believe that their giving will naturally follow their heart’s desires. But Jesus turns that idea upside down: If we want to cultivate a heart for God’s kingdom, we need to start by investing in it.

Want to develop a deeper love for missions? Start giving to missionaries. Want to care more about your church? Invest financially in its ministry. Our hearts follow our treasure.

Cultivating an Eternal Perspective

Another key principle is:

Heaven (On Earth) is our home.

Hebrews 11:16 tells us that believers are “citizens of a better country, a heavenly one.” Recognizing that this version of the world is not our final destination changes how we use our money. Instead of accumulating wealth here, Jesus calls us to store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20).

But what does that mean? It doesn’t mean stockpiling gold and silver in some celestial bank. Instead, our eternal treasures come from investing in God’s work—supporting ministries, spreading the gospel, and using our resources to help those in need. The money we use today to advance God’s kingdom will have eternal significance.

Faithful stewardship isn’t about earning salvation—it’s about responding to God’s generosity by using our resources wisely and storing up treasures that will last for eternity.

Prosperity with a Purpose

Finally, The Treasure Principle reminds us that:

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

It’s easy to assume that when God blesses us financially, it’s simply for our own benefit. But Scripture calls us to a different mindset. Like a delivery driver who is entrusted with a package to deliver—not to keep—God blesses us so that we can bless others.

This doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy God’s blessings, but it does mean that we should view our financial increase as an opportunity to be more generous, not just to accumulate more for ourselves.

At the heart of The Treasure Principle is a simple but profound challenge: to see God as our ultimate treasure and money as a tool for His purposes. When we grasp this, it changes everything—how we spend, save, and give.

If you haven’t read The Treasure Principle, we highly encourage you to pick up a copy. It’s a quick read but has the power to reshape your financial perspective for eternity.

Faithful Steward: FaithFi’s New Quarterly Magazine

Randy’s full article, Understanding the Treasure Principle, is featured in the first issue of Faithful Steward, FaithFi’s new quarterly magazine. To receive this issue of the magazine and an issue every quarter, become a monthly partner at $35 a month or $400 a year by going to FaithFi.com/Give.

Let’s be faithful stewards together, investing in what truly lasts.

On Today’s Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:

I have a friend who's married to an unbeliever, and her spouse sees no value in money beyond spending it. Do you have any advice for how she can make a budget and share it with her spouse so that his eyes might be open to the importance of financial stewardship?
Should we tithe on money that we receive from an insurance payout?
I have a 401(k) here at work. I'm 67 years old, and I'd like to withdraw money to purchase a car for $25,000 versus taking out a loan and paying interest. Is that something I'm allowed to do, or do I have to talk to the plan administrator? Is it up to the administrator, or is it legal for me to do that?
Should my daughter put her maturing CDs into a high-yield money market account instead of rolling them over so the money is more accessible if she needs to buy a car?

Resources Mentioned:

Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God’s resources.

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