There are other disciplines of the faith (ordinary means of grace) that do not arrest the attention of most Christians. That is not so much because they are less valuable, though they are less obvious and therefore may seem less pressing. Here are a few examples.

Worshiping God with our finances. Jesus spoke much about money, maybe more than any other biblical writer. He made the connection between our money and our hearts (Matthew 6:19-21).

When speaking about money (and possessions), we might be tempted to think only about giving. Giving is a vitally important aspect of our stewardship of money and possessions. but it doesn’t end there. Lets consider what we give and what we don’t.

Giving is a way we are to imitate God who gives us everything we have: from life, to possessions, to salvation. We are to give cheerfully and generously, (2 Corinthians 9:6-7); by faith (sacrificially) (Hebrews 11:4); regularly, proportionally, and responsibly (1 Corinthians 16:1-4). We give to worship God, though our worshipful giving is a means through which ministers and ministries are funded and the poor are assisted.

I’ll not get into whether Christians are obligated to tithe or not. Biblical scholars disagree. I’ll just say that for some, tithing is a sacrifice that requires faith, while for others, tithing requires little or no faith. Seek the Lord and respond by giving obediently in faith.

But biblical stewardship does not end with the small amount we give. It is also a matter of what we do with what we keep for ourselves. What we do not give is not ours, as it all comes from God and belongs to God. We will answer to Him not merely for how we give, but also for what we do with what we do not give.

Worshiping God with our finances is an important discipline of the faith (it requires discipline!) that impacts our sanctification.

More next time: fasting.