Daily Devotional for Thursday, October 22
Honor God with Our Substance
“Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine,” Proverbs 3:9, 10.
It is so easy to hold back what you may already have thought to give. The enemy uses the selfishness of man to keep you from giving as you should. I write this not to point a finger, for I often think I do not have enough to give. Sometimes, I think I have given enough, or I just want to make sure I have enough, not for my needs but for things I want. Yet, this way of thinking is not honoring the Lord. I also have seen Him time and time again provide more than enough.
This passage, being in the Old Testament, gives reference to the sacrifices the Israelites made each year. Yet, as a Christian saved by grace and not under the Law anymore, giving is a huge part of obedience to the Lord. Honoring the Lord with your substance means to give Him praise and thanksgiving for the money you have through a job, ministry or other funds you accumulate. To truly be thankful is to give some back to the Lord by helping your church, missionaries, poor and needy and widows. You should honor Him with the first part of your wages not what is left over after bills, needs and wants.
Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Giving is part of trusting in the Lord. Trust that He will provide no matter what. Often numbers are looked at more than what Scripture says about giving. Maybe your bank account shows there is no way you can give or give as much this month. This is where you have to trust.
Something to Think About
Remember to honor the Lord in the ways He has said, not in the ways you want. Remember there are always people in more need than you.
Karry Irizarry