Honoring the Lord With Your Wealth

Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;”

Are you honoring the Lord with your wealth? You might be thinking, “What wealth?” Or “When I get wealthy, then I will honor Him.” When the Bible uses the term wealth, it is not using it in the way we might. We think of Millionaires as wealthy people. Interestingly, American households making at least $60,000 a year are in the top 1% globally in terms of income. Making $30K a year puts you in the top 5% globally. So, are you honoring the Lord with your wealth?

The Message translation of the Bible gives great insight into the word wealth by translating this verse to say, “Honor God with everything you own.” You might not think of yourself as wealthy, but someone in Africa would consider the poorest of us wealthy. Besides, how much you own or possess isn’t the question. The question is, “are you honoring the Lord with your wealth?”

The second part of the verse points out that we are to honor Him with our firstfruits. The Living Bible translates this verse by saying, “Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income.” In the Old Testament, you gave God the best of all you produced. You gave it first to show who was first in your life. Practically, when you write the first check to God or set up your giving to be recurring, you never have to worry about not having the money to give. Give first, and then figure out what you can afford to buy or spend later. Giving the first part of your income shows who is the most important to you. This is not a suggestion. It is a command.

But every command is also a promise! Let’s see the promise God makes if we obey his command by reading the next verse in Proverbs 3:10, which says, “then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” If you think this is just some Old Testament thing, listen to this verse that says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Who said that? Jesus in Luke 6:38.

So, there is a cause and effect in place here. When we give God our best, He blesses us in return so we can continue to be a blessing. The real question is why are you NOT honoring God with your wealth? Let’s honor the Lord today with this offering by giving our best to Him!