I want to introduce you to a new financial concept I made up: Me-istic Present-ism. (“What in the world is Paul Tripp talking about?!”) The Bible definitively teaches that this life is not all there is. Every human being is heading for an eternity of some kind. But me-istic present-ism has gripped the hearts and wallets of many believers and our secular culture. Me-istic – we put our wants, needs, feeling, hopes, and dreams in the center of our field of... Read More

People are not instinctively generous. I don’t think that will come as a shock. If sin causes us to live for ourselves, and the Bible declares it does in 2 Corinthians 5:15, then we will struggle with an obsessive self-focus over money. When it comes to our income, we tend to think first of ourselves—what I need, what I want, what dream money can buy—before we think of how we can be generous with it. I am not suggesting that we are never generous; instead, I want to... Read More

Perhaps no greater definition of generosity exists than the twelve words that form John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.” (ESV) What could be more generous than the birth of our Savior? His cradle wasn’t the cradle of a king. There was no fine wood, no silk sheet, or a soft velvet blanket. He was laid in a feeding trough, surrounded by barn animals. Here we are confronted by the fact that generosity is only as good as the extent of its... Read More

The biblical story is a generosity story. No words capture the essence of this narrative better than these: “For God so loved the world,  that he gave . . .” (John 3:16, emphasis added). But God’s generosity isn’t discovered solely in the New Testament. I love five particular Old Testament illustrations of God’s generosity, although there are many more! When we read the Bible cover to cover focusing on this theme, we will be blown away by how lavishly... Read More

Instead of a typical Wednesday’s Word devotional this week, I would ask you to watch my new 20-minute video: The Gospel, The Church, And Racial Injustice. Watch until the end, please. It’s 20 minutes and includes a quote from Charles Spurgeon, two Bible passages, and four actions that you can take. God bless, Paul David Tripp .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe,... Read More

How young were you when you first learned that famous verse about money? Whether or not you were raised in Sunday School, almost every culture recognizes some version of this biblical maxim: “For the love of money is a  root of all kinds of evils. ” (1 Timothy 6:10, ESV, emphasis mine) I struggled with this theology for a while; it doesn’t seem accurate. When you look at the full range of all the evils in the world and the damage that different sins cause, it... Read More

Money will either bless you or curse you. It can be a rescuing blessing in the hands of your Savior. Your desires for and use of money can reveal what is ruling your heart (see James 4:1–3, Deuteronomy 15:10) . Money can also be an invitation to experience blessing by being a blessing. Generosity allows us to respond to others’ physical needs, and as we do, participate in activities that are literally of eternal consequence (see Acts 20:35, Malachi 3:10) . But... Read More

When you receive unexpected money, what is the first thing you want to do with it? Luella and I were in our early days of ministry, with two hungry children, barely making it on the meager salary our little church was able to pay us. I must admit that in those days, I struggled a lot with envy and often wondered what God was doing. One afternoon an anonymous envelope came in the mail containing a $100 check. It seemed to me like a million dollars, and I immediately started to plan all the... Read More