Pastor’s Column. Jesus teaches that everything we have belongs to God. It’s not ours. We don’t own it. We are simply stewards or managers of what has been entrusted to us by God.
Spiritual growth, then, has to do with how this belief gives shape to our lives over time. As time passes are we growing in our ability to give to Jesus’ work of building up the kingdom of God? Are we becoming better managers of what God has given us? Are we willing to make sacrifices so we can better serve Jesus?
Spiritual growth as it pertains to financial giving is measurable. The Presbyterian Church calls this measure of growth percentage giving, and it is very simple. What percentage of your income did you give last year? Take this year’s income and attempt to increase your giving by a percent or more beyond last year’s. The percentage growth represents spiritual growth unless giving this amount upsets you or makes you mad. Remember 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Other factors obviously enter into the struggle to grow spiritually via financial giving. A person can make a special one-time gift to the church (which isn’t to be matched again), or one can lose significant income, or one can experience catastrophic bills, or whatever. Life is a not always the same one year to the next. Sometimes we have to go back to square one and do the best we can. Yet, if we say we are growing spiritually, but have nothing to demonstrate how, are we really? James states it so well, “By what I do, not by what I say, I’ll show you my faith.” - DJ
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