Bobservations: Consistency

The dictionary defines consistency as the achievement of a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time. Based on this definition, do you think that is a good description of your giving? About six months ago I ran a report and found that only 13% of the people who gave to Sunridge gave each month in that 12-month reporting period. There are probably many reasons why this number is low – I just started attending Sunridge and haven’t been here for 12 months yet, I was laid off for a few months, I’m just so far in debt that I cannot afford to give. Consistency in giving can be hard; after all, it is a spiritual discipline. Hebrews 12:11 tells us that, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

As God continues to work in and through Sunridge church to accomplish our vision of Helping People Find and Follow Jesus, consistency in giving is going to be a big part of realizing our full potential as a church. So much so that we’ve set a “consistency goal” for this year for our church to increase the percentage of monthly giving from 13% to 25%. How can we get there? First, can you check your giving for this year to see if you’ve missed a month or are behind? Our fiscal year ends in September, and we’d love to finish the fiscal year in a strong position. Second, I’d like to offer you a practical “training” tool to help build spiritual discipline and experience the peaceful fruit of righteousness – PushPay. Yes, giving via the app or the website and setting up a recurring gift really does build spiritual discipline and build consistency in your giving. I think you’ll be amazed at what happens when you make giving a priority.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” ~Malachi 3:10