Proverbs 3:9. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce.
Honoring the Lord with our wealth is one way that we know the Lord in all our ways (3:6). God is by nature a giver, a sharer. Everything in creation comes from him and is for us. He doesn’t need it, does he? God exists free from all need of material or natural wealth. There is nothing on Earth that he is in want of.
So why does he require our wealth in the law? And why does wisdom cry out for it here?
Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and money.” And yet we are all trying to do just that. Jesus talked about money more than he talked about anything else. Why is that? Because money (wealth) is something that has an inordinate power to control our hearts. This is why Jesus warned us so sternly to “watch out” for greed. Of course greed is “everybody else’s problem” and the greedy person rarely knows that they are greedy. Which is why we need to establish the habit of honoring the Lord with the firstfruits of our produce.
The giving in Proverbs 3:9 is wisdom. It is skill in navigating life’s complexities. It is the fear of the Lord. It is how we know Christ and know ourselves in the process. How difficult is it for you to give God your firstfruits instead of your left overs? What’s the last check you write? Do the poor get your money before Netflix does? What do you do with the other 90% that didn’t go in the offering plate?
Jesus gave us everything didn’t he? Not just the firstfruits and definitely not the leftovers. He gave his own life to save us. He left all his wealth behind and became poor for us so that we could share all (not some) of his wealth in Heaven one day. By our union with Christ we literally share in Christ’s ownership of the universe. “The cosmos are yours!” Paul told the Corinthians.
When you know that you own everything in Christ, sharing becomes more and more natural. Instinctual. When you share the inheritance of Jesus then you can set it all aside just as he did for you and for me. Not just the firstfruits, but everything received becomes an offering.
You: In what ways do you fail to honor God with your wealth?
You in Christ: How might believing that you share everything with Christ allow you to become more generous with your wealth (firstfruits over leftovers)?
Christ in you: What specifically is the Christ in you nudging you to do with your wealth in this season of life?
Pray: Father, you are the greatest giver and sharer in the world, giving even your son for me. I want to trust you and honor you with all I have in Christ. Amen.
To Live is Christ 