Introduction

The Sunday comics and money are both printed on
paper, but one makes people laugh and the other
makes them cry. The actual paper that money is
printed on is pretty much worthless—not much
different from the stuff used to manufacture
Kleenex. In reality, money only has value because
people agree to view it as valuable. The dollar, the
euro, and the yen are nothing more than creations of
men used to trade for services, but arguing about the
real value of money isn't going to put food on the
table. The world's system of trade is based on money,
and we all have to use it to survive.
The influence of money in our lives is very real, so it
isn't surprising that Jesus taught more on the subject
of finances than on any other single topic. He taught
more about managing resources than He did on
prayer or even faith—which tells us that the topic of
money, and how we handle it, is very important. One
of the reasons the church hasn't made more of an
impact on modern society seems obvious to me: we
haven't successfully applied the Gospel to everyday
concerns. Most people are so occupied with trying to
deal with earthly problems that they aren't thinking
about the eternal. But the Gospel has a lot to say
about everyday earthly concerns—especially
finances.