Art Rainer points out that so many of us place our hope in money and the control of it instead of allowing God to show us how it can shape eternity.
He states:

“…giving to mold your heart into a heart that trusts him more. Giving says to God, ‘I trust you more than I trust myself or money.’”

“The generosity we find in the Bible is not easy. It is not convenient. And it is certainly not comfortable. Sacrifice is uncomfortable. The generosity we are called to in the Bible causes our hearts to lean into God and trust him.”

Chapters include topics such as living for something greater than yourself, acknowledging that God owns everything, what it means to be fueled by gratitude, generosity as an act of worship, and prioritizing generosity. The chapters also give Biblical and contemporary accounts of generous, sacrificial and cheerful giving with a few poignant questions to ponder at the end of each chapter. This book would be a good resource for individual, small group to church-wide study.

I received this book from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.

Money in the light of eternity; What the Bible Says about Your Financial Purpose by Art Rainer.
This book is helpful for Christians who want to think more intentionally about their money especially in the area of giving. The book begins by painting a picture of eternity and how our view of money can impact our hearts now.
Rainer breaks down giving into different categories to invite us to consider what it could look like to give cheerfully, as an act of worship, as a priority, and much more! This can be great to challenge you if you already give but maybe finding one area such as giving cheerfully to be difficult. He uses Biblical references and stories to help guide the reader to a conclusion. At the end of each chapter there are also some additional questions to help you dive deeper.
There were some areas I wanted more depth and other that I wanted to have more nuance but still honestly found something in each chapter to be helpful to think deeper about.
One particular thing I hadn’t thought much about was how giving online can impact your attitude toward giving. In a world where many things are automatic and online this is a topic that did challenge me to want to have more intentionality so that I view it was as an act of worship instead of just a bill that comes out automatically with the rest of my bills each month.

Art Rainer certainly covers a lot of dimensions to generosity: stewardship, gratitude, trust, worship. He even talks about the messiness of being generous. However, I kept wondering why the book was written. Who’s the audience that’s going to pick up the book? Believers who already understand they are but stewards who are to manage resources according to the Master’s desires don’t need to read this. Those who accept with humility God’s good gifts—living a modern version of Deut. 6.10-12 (you didn’t build this, don’t forget the Lord)—don’t need to read this. Those who look at everyday life and apply Micah 6.8 don’t need to read this—“But what does the Lord require? To do right, to love mercy and walk humbly with God.” Or James 1.27–pure religion is taking care of widows and orphans and not letting the world corrupt you i.e. don’t let the world’s standards or perspectives persuade you to keep up with the Joneses. Potential readers would be new to generosity and they would want a “how to” book. Those who are not interested in generosity, have not been persuaded by sermons or even tax regulations encouraging generosity probably wouldn’t pick up the book. So I’m left with the audience of those who are only dipping their toes in the waters of generosity. Church-goers are no more generous than the rest of society, donating roughly 2% of their income. Those people will benefit from Rainer’s exhortation to dive into the deep end and go all out.

I do wonder at the title of the book. It implies that we can earn our way into heaven by being generous. Rather being generous is a response of gratitude as Rainer says. It’s obedience to His commands to help others, including loving our enemies. It’s recognizing that we don’t own these things but have been generously endowed with physical, financial, intellectual, relational, spiritual and historical (heritage, legacy) resources. No one is a self-made success: they didn’t build the roads, schools, hospitals, armed forces, police, courts, etc. on which our society rests. They didn’t come fresh into a faith that’s entirely new but has a legacy of thought and application in everyday life.

For those who are wondering if it makes sense to be more generous, Rainer’s book is a good resource. If you need encouragement, this book is good.

"Though the American dollar reads, "In God We Trust," many Americans have greater faith in the green paper it's printed on."

"Cheerful givers hold their possessions loosely. They recognize that everything belongs to God and they are managers or stewards, not owners."

I think this book came into my life at the exact time it needed to. It was an excellent reminder of not only stewarding God's blessings well, but also the reason for why we are even in possession of them anyway. In light of so uncertain a future ahead of us, it's easy to get caught up in financial concerns or stress. Giving - and giving generously, at that - can become less and less of a priority. This book challenges that perspective. It's easy to follow, to the point, and biblically based. I recommend this book to all Christians.