I was recently speaking with a colleague at the office and we were discussing finances and they mentioned to me about taking rent money immediately from their pay to be sure that was paid above all else. As I read this morning of honoring God, I was brought back to this discussion to apply the same principle to my giving to God.
“9Honor the Lord with you wealth and with the firstfruits of all you produce; 10then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” – Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV)
How often do we find ourselves scrambling to cover a financial need in our lives because we have nothing left after “feeding” our desires? I know that I have gotten myself into that position and then wondering why I did not have enough to cover what needed to be covered.
God provides everything we need and it is up to us to give to Him first. Like my colleague, shouldn’t we take out God’s portion first?
Look to verse 10 above and follow along with me. The first thing I see is that the verse implies that we should give to God first so that He will give us more, and that makes sense as God will provide.
But, we have to look closer at our heart as we give. Are we giving for selfish gain; i.e. to get something more? We honor God by giving to Him first! What He gives us in return may or may not be simply stores of tangible items to fill the coffers. Remember the first miracle of Jesus, turning water into wine. The blessing that was poured out was timed perfectly. And what did Jesus do, the wine was better than what was served to begin.
We find ourselves in difficult positions when it comes to honoring God. As man, we know that we have needs and we have to do the work to meet those needs. We also have to remember that God will provide for those needs. When we honor God first, He will provide for our needs when the time is right, and when that time is right He will give back more than we could have expected.
Are you honoring God with your “firstfruits”? What about your heart, where is your heart in the giving process? Are you willingly and purposefully giving to God first?
Trevor's Thoughts 