All things were created for Jesus
If taken seriously, the practical wisdom provided here will significantly bless your stewardship efforts, expanding your ability to give generously. This wisdom, however, is not uniquely Christian. Anyone can employ these principles, reap the natural benefits, and increase their giving. Anyone can set up an effective budget, save for the future, and write a bigger check to a local charity (all good things). A deeper life in stewardship and generosity, therefore, must be something more. And it is!
For the Christian, a deeper life can only mean one thing a deeper life in Christ. A life increasingly transformed into the image of Christ by the Spirit’s power, reflecting an ever-increasing love for Christ as evidenced by ever-increasing obedience to Christ (Romans 8:29, 12:1-2; John 14:21, 15:10).
This uniquely Christian view is described beautifully by the lyrics of the A. B. Simpson hymn, Not I, but Christ. A. W. Tozer expounds on this view, saying:
To enter upon such a life, the seeker … must be willing to make Christ the one supreme Lord and ruler of his life. He must surrender his whole being to the destructive power of the cross, to die not only to his sins but to his righteousness as well and to everything in which he formerly prided himself. If this should seem like a heavy sacrifice for anyone to make, let it be remembered that Christ is Lord and can make any demands upon us that He chooses, even to the point of requiring that we deny ourselves and bear the cross daily. And the mighty anointing of the Holy Spirit that follows will restore the soul infinitely more than has been taken away. It is a hard way but a glorious one. No one who has known the sweetness of it will ever complain about what he has lost. He will be too well pleased with what he has gained.
It is no exaggeration to say that an ongoing preoccupation with exalting Jesus characterizes the deeper life. Indeed, we see nothing less than an obsession with pleasing Christ by building His kingdom in the life of the apostle Paul. Paul explains his singular devotion throughout his writings but nowhere as clearly as in his letter to the Colossians, where he writes:
He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
(Colossians 1:15-18)
Did you catch it? All things were created for Jesus. This is a HUGE statement worthy of our reflection. Why were all things created for Jesus? So that He will come to have first place in everything. Other translations use the words preeminence and supremacy, and the meaning is clear. You, I, and all other created things (including all our stuff) exist to exalt Jesus Christ. If we’re going to experience a deeper life in Christ, we need to sit with this truth for a while and allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by its simplicity and the amazing privilege it means for us.
Simpson connects this biblical understanding of the deeper life to everyday life: “When we give ourselves to the Lord, then everything is given. Your clothes, your food, the support of your family – all of these are consecrated to the Lord. Holiness unto the Lord is written upon everything you do. It is not merely what you put on the plate. When the cords of self are cut, then it is a joy to give everything to Him.”
We see, then, that while a deeper life in stewardship and generosity embraces the practical wisdom offered here and throughout scripture, it is motivated by a desire to exalt Jesus by building His kingdom. What does this kingdom-building look like? It’s a stewardship of our lives that reflects a complete surrender to Jesus in whatever situation we find ourselves, whether we’re called to preach the gospel overseas, raise a family in a small town, attend a university, or walk any other life path. As we surrender, God will use our lives to build his Son’s Kingdom: an increasing number of citizens (believers) submitting to their King (Colossians 1:6, 12-14) and an increasing depth of loving devotion (fruit-bearing) from those citizens (Colossians 1:9-11). The parallels between Colossians 1 and the Great Commission passage in Matthew 28:18-20 are worthy of our attention.
There is no formula or a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to living a deeper life in stewardship and generosity. There is simply you, all that Christ has entrusted you with, and the clearly stated purpose of your life to exalt Jesus Christ by building His kingdom. Consider this truth and ask yourself: “What does a deeper life in stewardship and generosity look like for me?”