{"id":7954,"date":"2014-01-20T11:20:29","date_gmt":"2014-01-20T16:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=7954"},"modified":"2014-01-20T11:20:29","modified_gmt":"2014-01-20T16:20:29","slug":"book-review-how-to-be-rich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=7954","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: How to Be Rich"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00DL18FCA\/ref=r_soa_w_d\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7955\" alt=\"how-to-be-rich-andy-stanley\" src=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/how-to-be-rich-andy-stanley.jpg\" width=\"262\" height=\"290\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s get the awkwardness out of the way&#8230;I&#8217;m rich and you are too. \u00a0It doesn&#8217;t take more than a quick glance around our homes with all the latests gadgets and closets overflowing with things that we never use&#8230;to realize how abundantly blessed we are. \u00a0One of the fastest growing businesses in America is the storage business&#8230;we have so much stuff that it doesn&#8217;t even fit in our houses that already contain more space than we could possibly ever need! \u00a0This book isn&#8217;t a &#8220;get rich quick&#8221; scheme, it is a mandate to be generous as we steward all that we have&#8230;whether you have it all now or are well on your way to having it all one day.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00DL18FCA\/ref=r_soa_w_d\" target=\"_blank\"><em>How to Be Rich<\/em><\/a> by Andy Stanley is a great read for anyone growing up in our culture of abundance. \u00a0From the littlest kid to the oldest grandparent, every one of us wants something&#8230;the latest this or the flashiest that&#8230;all on our quest to be happy. \u00a0Andy&#8217;s message is one that challenges us on the proper placement of our hope and our happiness&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I will not trust in riches, but in him who richly provides.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>One of my favorite thoughts from this book came towards the end when Andy reminds us that we will win few people over with our theology, but we have an incredible opportunity to win over scores of people with our generosity. \u00a0I pray that my life will be marked by generosity that points people to Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those below&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s what you do with what you have that will count either for you or against you in the kingdom of heaven.<\/li>\n<li>I want you to help me reanchor the church to undeniable, mind-boggling, culture-shifting demonstrations of compassion and generosity.<\/li>\n<li>The richer you get, however, the more your priorities begin to separate from actual needs.<\/li>\n<li>Guilt rarely results in positive behavior. But gratitude? Great things flow from a heart of gratitude.<\/li>\n<li>The moral of the story? \u201cRich\u201d is a moving target. No matter how much money we have or make, we will probably never consider ourselves rich. The biggest challenge facing rich people is that they\u2019ve lost their ability to recognize that they\u2019re rich.<\/li>\n<li>Studies show that the richer people get, the smaller the percentage of money they give away.<\/li>\n<li>People who are good at being rich are the ones who are willing to admit they are, in fact, rich.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become.&#8221; Arthur Schopenhauer<\/li>\n<li>We need to acquire the management skills that match our level of wealth in the world.<\/li>\n<li>The key, as the old saying goes, is to possess money without it possessing you.<\/li>\n<li>Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain \u2026 (1 Timothy 6:17)<\/li>\n<li>Specifically, Paul writes, money does two things to people: It makes us arrogant, and over time it becomes our primary source of hope, leaving us with the impression that we are self-sufficient.<\/li>\n<li>Proverbs 18:11 describes the migration of hope this way: \u201cThe wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cGive me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, \u2018Who is the LORD?\u2019\u201d (Proverbs 30:8 \u2013 9).<\/li>\n<li>Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. (1 Timothy 6:17)<\/li>\n<li>Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (1 Timothy 6:18)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI will not trust in riches but in him who richly provides.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;If your desires be endless, your cares and fears will be so too.&#8221; Thomas Fuller<\/li>\n<li>Jesus taught his followers a rather interesting definition of greed. He said that greed is the assumption that everything placed in our hands is for our consumption.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.&#8221; John Wesley<\/li>\n<li>No matter how rich or poor you might feel, right now is the time to be generous.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.&#8221; Abraham Maslow<\/li>\n<li>Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9)<\/li>\n<li>But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)<\/li>\n<li>For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. (1 Timothy 6:7 \u2013 8)<\/li>\n<li>How does one find contentment in a media-saturated culture built on an advertisement-driven economy? How do you say \u201cenough\u201d in a world that has fine-tuned its messaging so as to make you continually dissatisfied with everything you currently own? How can we rich people, the ones with extra money, find the will power to say no when, technically, we can afford to say yes?<\/li>\n<li>Stop unnecessarily exposing yourself to environments that make you discontent with what you have.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;If one first gives himself to the Lord, all other giving is easy.&#8221; John S. Bonnell<\/li>\n<li>Praise be to you, LORD, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor. (1 Chronicles 29:10 \u2013 11a)<\/li>\n<li>For everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.\u00a0Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 29:12)<\/li>\n<li>God doesn\u2019t want to take your money; he just doesn\u2019t want your money to take you.<\/li>\n<li>Command those who are rich in this present world \u2026 (1 Timothy 6:17)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWhat good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?\u201d (Mark 8:36)<\/li>\n<li>While Christianity had none of the conventional strengths required to start a movement, its appeal and influence can be traced to an unexpected source: generosity.<\/li>\n<li>The best ministry we can offer on God\u2019s behalf isn\u2019t to explain our theology. It\u2019s to extend our generosity.<\/li>\n<li>If you are rich in this life, don\u2019t be arrogant and please don\u2019t place your hope in wealth. It\u2019s so uncertain. Instead, place your hope in God who richly provides you with everything for your enjoyment. Do good! Be rich in good deeds! Be generous and willing to share. When you do, you lay up a treasure for yourself that serves as a firm foundation in the coming age. And that\u2019s not all. Selfless generosity allows you to take hold of life as it was meant to be lived.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Let&#8217;s get the awkwardness out of the way&#8230;I&#8217;m rich and you are too. \u00a0It doesn&#8217;t take more than a quick glance around our homes with all the latests gadgets and closets overflowing with things that we never use&#8230;to realize how abundantly blessed we are. \u00a0One of the fastest growing businesses in America is the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,14,35,16,23,28,17,32,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","category-book-review","category-creative","category-family","category-generosity","category-integrity","category-leadership","category-marriage","category-truth"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7954\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}