I’ll be 70 on my next birthday; I left home at 17 and, since then, I’ve been acting as a responsible adult – not able to hide under the covering of parents or guardians – and figuring things out for myself. Here’s one thing I’ve confirmed, over and over again…

What do I know, for sure?  The majority is always wrong. Being in the minority doesn’t ensure that you’re right – there are always off-base outliers – but the emotional security found in the crowd comes at the expense of well-reasoned conclusions that lead to best-case actions and outcomes.

It’s December; you’re likely to be in church more this month than any other time of the year. Look around at the holiday congregation: if they reflect the confirmed status of Americans who self-identify as evangelical Christians, most of them donate to charity at the same rate as citizens with no ties to the faith. Most church attenders don’t give to church; “ministry is supposed to be ‘free!’” is their mantra. Christians who are “Scripture engaged” – regularly reading and applying the Bible to their life – are the most generous among us: 44% of all charitable giving in America comes from that sub-group.

More than likely, you’re part of that elite category of Americans. Your allegiance to the Lord Jesus has established an ongoing and life-giving relationship with Almighty God. You recognize that knowing and doing His will – as communicated in His Word – gives you the answers to the essential questions that are either unknown or rejected by the majority of your countrymen and congregants.

As you approach the end of the year, there’s a good chance that you’ll be wrapping-up your financial arrangements for 2022 between now and New Year’s Eve. For the majority, spending for Christmas gifts is their biggest fiscal challenge this month. The next sub-group in size are the folks who are in that “average American” pool who will give + 4% of their paycheck income to charity – more likely by default than by design. For the few who crash through the baseline of tithing – giving 10% of income back to the God who is the source of everything we have – the chance to invest even more into His Kingdom is the challenge that surrounds every financial decision, 24/7/365.

Here’s a paradigm you may want to incorporate as you spend some time this month fine-tuning your current and long-term approach to your finances. If life ended at death, it really wouldn’t matter much; but because you recognize that this life is the onramp into God’s Kingdom in Eternity, nothing could matter more.

Do you have a strategy for the allocations you manage within your Kingdom Portfolio?

For most believers, their underperforming stewardship may not warrant this level of intentionality. For the few who are intent on acting on behalf of their Heavenly Patron, knowing what He’s interested in underwriting – through them – is the precursor that precedes the donations.

Where would God direct our giving? Here are some categories that emerge from the Scriptures that offer some great insight into His passions. First, the poor – and the practicality of their needs – are always in top-position as God directs the flow of funding toward them from those with more-than-enough. Widows and orphans are “true religion,” according to Him. Support of one’s spiritual family – what God ordained His church to be – is an ongoing responsibility for the spiritually mature. The Great Commission – efforts devoted to taking the Gospel to the ends of the Earth that result in disciples who are following Jesus – is an undeniable essential.

Those are targeted categories; finding the efforts that effectively merge the Great Commandments – to love God and to love people – with the Great Commission – to make disciples – is the granular outcome of those allocational considerations. You may be trusting your church’s general fund to include all of those initiatives within the scope of their ministry budgeting. You might be convicted to manage your Kingdom investments personally to assure that the things that reflect the heart of God are part of your deliberate distributions. The Spirit of God is in the details…

Do you have some work to do over the next few weeks to ensure that your Kingdom fiscal year is buttoned-up and ready for your end-of-life Audit?

Bob Shank