Investing in Your Spiritual Journey
Do you have a budget category for discipleship? I have a budget for streaming services, eating out, and a gym membership to work off the extra calories I get from snacking while streaming shows or eating out. Most budgets include a category for these items, but not so much for discipleship. Why do we tend to neglect—or even resist—assigning priority to our own spiritual growth?
This blog will explore three significant impediments that hinder our investment in our discipleship:
We see ourselves as obedient owners who give a portion to God, and the rest is for our enjoyment.
We don’t believe our growth matters.
We don't prioritize spiritual growth in our schedule.
Impediment #1: The Obedient Owner Mentality
Many Christians have developed an obedient owner mentality. The obedient owner believes some percentage of their income (often 10 percent) is for God’s Kingdom. Once you reach the 10 percent mark, you’ve earned an “A” in giving, and the remaining 90 percent is to support your lifestyle and knock things off your bucket list. Because most givers donate less than 10 percent, pastors rightly spend much of their effort helping move people from throwing $20 in the offering plate/box to giving and growing a percentage of their income. If everyone tithed, most church budgets would be in great shape.
The obedient owner mentality stunts our growth by introducing several false assumptions:
The 10 percent is God’s.
The 90 percent is ours to spend on things we enjoy that aren’t sinful.
Our best life will come from knocking items off our bucket list.
Obedience, rather than joy, is the goal of giving.
Yet, Psalm 24:1 says everything belongs to the Lord. Genesis 1:28 establishes our responsibility for stewardship over the whole earth. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first His Kingdom. 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that God loves a cheerful giver.
I believe most Christians’ financial discipleship journey goes through the obedient owner stage. For too many, it stops there.
Impediment #2: My Growth Either Isn’t Important or Possible
My youngest son plays travel sports. We are now part of the suburban sports industrial complex (SSIC). The SSIC assumes all problems can be solved, and a costly personal training session is the answer. That isn’t always true, but I love the hopefulness underlying the SSIC: You can improve, and getting better is important.
When we become adults, our approach to improvement changes. We have less time. We focus more on our production and less on our growth. For some Christians, salvation was the goal, and sanctification was of little value. Our progress becomes less important and is done on the margins.
Jesus didn’t see it this way. His core group of followers, both men and women, were primarily adults. As seen in the gospels, they were transformed by their time with Jesus and deep connection with the Holy Spirit. As Jesus reminded Martha, growing as a disciple is the higher calling. Dallas Willard echoes the same thoughts, “The most important thing in your life is not what you do; it’s who you become. That’s what you will take into eternity.”
Impediment #3: Not prioritizing spiritual growth in my schedule
Once we get past the impediments that my assets are for my fun and my growth doesn’t matter, the remaining impediment is time. For many of us, time is the scarcest commodity. So, the first step is to come up with some time. Find a few days of vacation that you would have used for something less valuable. Pick a day when the kids are at summer camp. Stop watching either Sunday or Monday night football. Do whatever it takes to find a couple of hours—better yet, days—simply to become.
Then, be willing to pay for activities that deliver significant value quickly. Rather than read ten books on leadership, pay to attend the Global Leadership Summit. Invest in a class through a seminary or Christian university where someone has already curated the content. Self-fund a short-term mission trip or splurge on a guided retreat. The options become wider when we are willing to bring more of the assets—and the time—entrusted to us to produce the greatest return.
Moving away from the obedient owner mentality and investing in our spiritual growth will produce rewards well beyond anything we can imagine. What are some practical steps you can take today to start investing in your ongoing spiritual journey?
