“The Blessed Life” by Robert Morris is renowned for its insightful and spiritually enriching content, focusing on the principles of biblical generosity and financial wisdom. It’s highly regarded among Christian communities for offering practical advice on managing finances in a way that honors God.
Book Details:
- Title: The Blessed Life
- Author: Robert Morris
- Genre: Christian Literature, Personal Finance, Spirituality
- Publication Date: 2002
- ISBN: 978-0764218765
About the Author:
Robert Morris is a respected pastor, speaker, and author, known for his profound understanding of biblical principles related to finance and generosity. His insights are valued for their depth and practical application, making his advice highly sought after by Christians seeking to align their financial practices with their faith.
Summary of The Blessed Life:
“The Blessed Life” delves into the heart of biblical generosity, emphasizing the joy and blessings that come from living a life of giving. Morris unpacks key biblical principles, showing how generosity goes beyond mere financial donations and impacts every aspect of a believer’s life. The book is a blend of personal anecdotes, scriptural insights, and practical advice, offering a roadmap to financial freedom and spiritual prosperity.
Selected Passages Randy Highlighted in the Book:
- It always requires faith to give the first. That’s why so few Christians experience the blessings of tithing. It means giving to God before you see if you’re going to have enough. By tithing, it is as if we are saying to God, “I recognize You first. I am putting You first in my life, and I trust You to take care of the rest of the things in my life.” (33, 34)
- More significantly, tithing is also the only area in which the Christian is invited to test God:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it” (Mal. 3:10, NIV, emphasis added). (50, 51) - Have you ever wished you could multiply your money? Well, I have wonderful news for you: God is able to do it. (66)
- But if you look closely at Malachi 3, God mentions more than the tithe there. He mentions “tithes and offerings” (v. 8).
In other words, it’s tithes and offerings that remove the curse. It’s tithes and offerings that bring the blessings. It’s tithes and offerings that rebuke the devourer. (73) - Notice that the reward for being a giver is a blessed life. God says He will bless you in everything you put your hand to and in all your works. (106, 107)
- Often I say, “I was born selfish, but I was born again generous.” (110)
- When we come to the place where we give simply because we have an unselfish, liberal heart of gratitude toward God, we will be well on the road to the blessed life. (116)
- The truth is that if you’re going to live the lifestyle of a giver, you’re going to have to make the lifestyle adjustments that allow you to have something to give. One of the first ways to do that is to get out of debt. (119)
- A spiritual principle that my wife and I have come to call the I.O. Principle. I.O. stands for Instant Obedience. We have come to understand the importance of responding instantly when we hear God’s voice.
Sometimes in giving, if you wait, Satan is given time to come up with all kinds of good reasons not to do what God has told you to do. (129) - If God speaks, do it. Trust and obey. And do it now! (130)
- He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich (Prov. 10:4). (141)
- The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. (Prov. 11:25). (141)
- People who have the gift of giving have discernment that allows them to determine genuine needs. (144)
- A person who has the gift of giving desires to be appreciated but not recognized. They don’t want their name on anything; they don’t want to be praised in front of their church for their giving; they don’t want any recognition for their gift; but they do like to know that their obedience and sacrifices are appreciated. A heartfelt thank-you goes a long, long way. (145)
- People who have the gift of giving don’t want to be a Band-Aid—they want to be a cure. In other words, they don’t want their money just to provide a short-term fix of something that is going to break again. They want it to bring lasting solutions to situations. (146)
- People who have the gift of giving want to give more than money—they want to give their time, their talent and their wisdom. (146)
- For we are His workmanship, created in Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (153)
- Let me ask you: How much treasure are you laying up in heaven? When you get to heaven, will you look back on this earth and regret how much treasure you laid up here instead of sending it on ahead to heaven? (156)
- God is always mindful of our material needs (so we don’t have to be). He wants us to take some of the seed He’s given us and eat it, but the rest He wants us to sow. He even adds a promise about that seed:
[God will] supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness (v. 10). (170) - I’m telling you, if you’re struggling in some areas of your life, you’ll start finding victory when God does a work in this area of your heart. (171)
- Money is a bigger test than you think. In fact, you are being tested by money right now. It is vital that you understand this truth: The extent of the responsibility you will have in the Kingdom is directly proportional to how you handle money. (182)
- Just a few months ago, I saw something about giving that I had never before seen in the Word. I saw that for the Christian, there are actually three levels of giving to the Lord.
I will elaborate shortly, but I will tell you what they are right now. There are three levels of giving to the Lord:
– Tithes
– Offerings
– Extravagant Offerings (185) - However, over the years, I have observed that those who do get to the first level usually move on to the next one. Why? Because tithing removes the curse and opens the windows of heaven over us. So, if we ever start tithing, we’re much more likely to start giving offerings as the Lord leads us.
Nevertheless, very few Christians will ever reach the third level of giving to the Lord—the level of extravagant giving—and this is a tragedy. I’m so saddened when I think about the fact that so many believers will never taste the joy of giving an extravagant offering to the Lord. But you can, just as many of the most remarkable figures of the Bible did. (186) - Solomon had just been set in as king. According to tradition, he was supposed to go offer an offering to the Lord. He was to sacrifice a bull. On the appointed day, do you know what Solomon did? He sacrificed 1,000 bulls.
Can’t you hear his advisors? “Uh… listen… we know you’re new and everything, but… uh… didn’t you know that you are only supposed to offer one offering? But, hey, we know you’re excited, so if you want to get extravagant, why not sacrifice 10… or even 100? But 1,000? Think about it, Solomon… we’ll be here all night!”
Solomon personally gave 1,000 bulls that day. And that night, God came to him and said, “Ask anything, and I’ll give it to you.”
Do you know why God said, “Ask anything of Me”? It is because Solomon had demonstrated that his heart was generous, not selfish. Solomon was a giver. (187) - As we have seen, the biblical account of Mary’s extravagant gift is recorded in John 12. If you want a little insight into what made her an extravagant giver, you only have to back up one chapter.
Do you remember what happened in John 11? Jesus raised Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus from the dead. One chapter later, Mary gave her most precious possession to the Lord.
Is it possible that the events of chapter 11 gave Mary a new perspective? Could burying her beloved brother, having him lie in the grave for four days and then suddenly seeing him restored to life at the Word of Jesus have changed Mary’s values and priorities? Maybe material possessions didn’t seem so precious anymore.
Getting a glimpse of what Jesus can do for the people we love has a way of doing that for us. (188, 189) - Tithing means giving to God before you see if you’re going to have enough. (219)
- Do you agree that worry is our way of trying to figure out in advance how God is going to provide for us? Is God always absent from the equation when you worry? (222)
Who Would Benefit From This Book?
This book is an ideal read for Christians aged 25-45, especially those with families, seeking a non-aggressive, authentic approach to financial wisdom. It’s perfect for those who prefer a balanced, spiritually-grounded perspective over secular financial advice.
Popular Quotes from The Blessed Life:
- “When God changes your heart, He changes your relationship with money.”
- “True prosperity is not about acquiring more but about needing less.”
- “Generosity is not a financial issue; it’s a heart issue.”
- “God’s economy operates on the principle of multiplication, not addition.”
- “Your life will never make sense until you understand that life is about giving, not getting.”
Related Books:
- “God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School” by John Cortines and Gregory Baumer
- “Money, Possessions, and Eternity” by Randy Alcorn
- “Your Money Counts” by Howard Dayton
- Simple Money, Rich Life, by Bob Lotich
