By Dynamis Ministries | January 13, 2022
The New Year holiday is in our rearview, but the spirit of the new year and all of its possibilities is still at the forefront. The excitement carries over into our work, family and leisure lives and provides opportunities for fresh starts, new accomplishments and better habits. We dream of what can be accomplished in the new year and set plans in motion to see things realized. It can be an exciting time indeed as we anticipate what can become as the calendar unfolds.
One common area of focus in new year’s planning is in the area of finances. It’s a good practice to assess our expenses in our budget and review our spending, looking at: 1) Are there areas out of balance? 2) What are some unnecessary items? and 3) How can we reduce expenses? We might also look at our savings and assess the level of our emergency fund: 1) Is there enough coverage to protect against loss? and 2) What should our saving rate be? Whether it’s looking at expenses or savings in our budget, both are helpful ways to grow our finances.
While revisiting our budget can be a good new year practice, how often does generosity factor into that process? It may do us well to bring generosity into the mix and consider how much we can give from our budget. For Christians, giving in generosity should be as much of a priority as our spending and saving habits. This may be a new practice for some of us, so let’s look at one very effective way to make room for generosity in our financial planning: intentionality.
In 2 Corinthians 9:7, the Apostle Paul tells the church, “You must decide in your heart how much to give.” In this simple yet profound statement, Paul shows us an important truth about generosity. Generosity comes from making an intentional decision to choose where we direct our money. He doesn’t coerce people to give, nor pressure them to give a specific amount. Nobody can make that decision for anybody else. Through prayer and discernment, we get to consider within our own story and situation how much we will give. However, when we make the intentional choice to give, giving becomes prioritized. And what gets prioritized gets attention. By spending time deciding in our heart how much to give, we bring intentionality to our giving and ultimately grow its impact.
As we continue to make plans and set goals for 2022, let us also decide in our heart how much to give. Maybe it’s time to start regular giving for the first time, no matter how small that gift may be. Even a small recurring gift can put systems in place to grow generosity. For some of us whose recurring giving has become stale, it may be time to change things up either in amounts or recipients. Others of us may be ready to take a leap of faith and start giving in radical ways where it’s going to test our faith. Regardless of our generosity context, bringing intentionality to our giving may take us places this year that are far better than anything we could have thought possible!
Photo Credit: Katt Yukawa
