Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 6, 2015
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9–10
Why do we honor the Lord with our wealth? We honor Him because He is the giver of all good things, the author of our abundance. As our estate grows, so should our honor of our heavenly Father. Otherwise, we are tempted to take credit for our success, honoring ourselves. The Bible says, “You may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth’” (Deuteronomy 8:17 nasb).
In some seasons our net worth decreases, and we are reminded that Christ controls cash flow. Wealth is not an end to itself but the means to the greater goal of honoring God. Peace and contentment flow from wealth that honors the Lord, while fear and insecurity consume the heart that honors itself. The Bible says, “If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them” (Psalm 62:10 nasb).
So how do you honor the Lord with your wealth? One way is to remain faithful and give Him the first fruits of your fortune. Small or large as it may be, His primary concern is your faithfulness to give. You give out of obedience, not abundance. People see Christ when you keep your cash commitments, especially when it costs you. This is honorable in heaven and on earth. Give to your church, the poor and needy, widows, orphans, family, and ministries who align with your passions.
The result of your generous giving in the middle of downward financial pressure will be an upward blessing to you and the recipients. Your honorable use of wealth for Jesus’ sake may mean food, clothing, shelter, and medical supplies for a village, or Bibles translated into the foreign tongue of a remote people halfway around the world. The best time to aggressively give is when the need is greatest. Take care of honoring Christ with generous giving and He will take care of you. What you give now, you will have in abundance later.
“And you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14 nasb).
Prayer: How can I be honorable and remain faithful in my financial commitments to Christ?
Related Readings: Deuteronomy 26:2–15; Luke 12:18–24; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Philippians 4:17–18
Post/Tweet this today: Give out of loving obedience not comfortable abundance. #wealth #wisdomhunters
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What would be your opinion on…I have a business, I tithe off of my paycheck from my company. Should my company be paying tithes as well?
Dear Jenny,
Goodness, what a great question and one that I have a feeling many in our Wisdom Hunter’s family are asking themselves. Since you own your business, this is a personal question between you and God. Ask Him for discernment regarding this matter and HE will be there to answer you.
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)
There were several statements in the devotional, “Honorable Wealth” that perhaps may “shine some light” as you pray for discernment for your company:
“Peace and contentment flow from wealth that honors the Lord, while fear and insecurity consume the heart that honors itself.”
“Small or large as it may be, His primary concern is your faithfulness to give. You give out of obedience, not abundance.”
“Take care of honoring Christ with generous giving and He will take care of you. What you give now, you will have in abundance later.”
Jenny, I am so glad you asked us this question. When I was diving into the Word and researching scripture verses about tithing, I was amazed at how much our God wants us to know about finances! Seek out His word as you pray and you will find the answer.
Just a few verses (but I promise, there are many more…)
Leviticus 27:30
Psalm 4:5
Matthew 6:21 and Deuteronomy 16:17
One last thing- Our friend Dave Ramsey talks about tithing a lot. If you aren’t familiar with him, please look him up. Here’s a small portion of what he says:
“So why does He ask us to give 10% to Him? Tithing was created for our benefit. It is to teach us how to keep God first in our lives and how to be unselfish people. Unselfish people make better husbands, wives, friends, relatives, employees, and employers. God is trying to teach us how to prosper over time.” (Dave Ramsey)
We are so thankful for you, Jenny, and look forward to hearing from you again.
Believing and trusting,
Gwynne