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
The priority that God holds in your life is demonstrated not when you are without but when you have plenty… It is very easy to cry out to God when we are in need of something; however, how many times have we found ourselves forgetting about His saving/delivering power when we seem to be ascending…? In all phases of life, The Lord should be honored “…with thy substance…” This isn’t just a monetary application, but a principle that we as Christians are called to live by… When God receives the firstfruits you are making a declaration not only to the position He holds in your life, but you are recognizing that it is only by His grace that you have obtained the level of increase in your life… The 6th chapter of Matthew verse 33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The key to success is not how much money you make or how many degrees you have; on the contrary, the key to success lies in the priorities that you have in life… Hardships come knocking on everyone’s door; however, when we are aligned with the will of God we see numerous times throughout the bible and in our everyday life that success follows thereafter... The book of Proverbs tells us that our barns will be filled with plenty and they shall burst out with new wine; in short, you will be prosperous, you will do great things and reach higher heights, but let us notice the first thing that we are to do in this scripture, “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase…” The word increase is one that people need to really apply in their lives, this doesn’t mean that you are to honor God when you make it, but that every time you receive “increase” you must keep Him first on your list as we are told that “Every good and perfect gift is from above…” Honoring the Lord with thy substances means to simply pay homage to the one who formed you, created you and sustained you… To bring honor to something means that you respect, appreciate or give credit to it. This Proverb tells us to give honor to the Lord; we must remember that God has made each and every day of our lives possible and more importantly, that He has blessed us with all that we have (even if we desire more) in our lives. Many people come to the conclusion that honoring God is simply thanking Him for His blessings and favor on your life, but as this passage informs us, we are to honor Him by giving back a portion of what He has given us (again understand that this is not only monetarily). To give back is to show your utmost respect and acknowledgment of what God as given to you. Notice that we are told to give the firstfruits so that our barns will be filled and the presses shall burst. We are called to give the first fruits because God is suppose to be number one in our lives; God is the head and when we focus on Him first than everything else falls into place… Malachi 3:10 tells us to test the Lord in giving, knowing that He will open a window of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you shall not have room enough to receive. Test God by giving Him your absolute best, doing whatever you can, leaving no opportunity undone, leaving no stone unturned; test God by relying on Him and watch the increase you receive which will be greater than what you have at this present moment (your barns shall burst)…
GO ALL IN FOR CHRIST!
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