For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. 2 Corinthians 8:21
“Besides making a budget and living simply, financially generous people suggest setting numerical goals for the good they hope to do with their time and money. They pray about God’s calling in their loves. They consider which of their activities bring joy to God and also bring joy uniquely to them. Then they find ways to participate. As these activities are discerned, financial goals are projected for their annual giving, along with metrics by which to measure them.
When we are generous, we aren’t so much doing things for God as we are becoming part of what God is doing in the world. As stewards, we understand that resources ultimately belong to the Lord, and we simply manage them. That’s why it’s important to begin the year with quantifiable goals of what we hope to contribute to the ministries, organizations, and projects to which God calls us. It’s amazing what we can do when we set goals for financial generosity and then order our lives to make that generosity possible.”
Tom Berlin in Defying Gravity: Break Free from the Culture of More (Nashville: Abingdon, 2016).
Berlin’s book seeks to help stewards avoid getting sucked into the world’s way of thinking, and instead, charges followers of Christ take aim, and shoot for goals that make a difference not for God but with God. What about you? It’s Monday and the start of a new month. Do you have goals for the work you hope to accomplish with God today or this week or month? What about linked to your financial generosity? What would it look like set a goal to grow in this area? Take aim and ask God to help you set a goal and reach it.