“Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits 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)
Too many people have read these verses as some kind of formula for getting rich, as if God has set himself up as the best currency exchange system ever: “Put in $10, get out $100.”
But this chapter is about trusting God’s way, not using him to get rich so we can live our way. To honor God with my “wealth” means that I understand it all comes from him, that I refuse to use any of it to dishonor him, and that I give part of my income back to him somehow. Then God promised Israel to respond with abundant crops.
Jesus challenged his followers to even deeper faith, to see money as something to be used as a way of storing up wealth in heaven, not fickle fortunes on earth. He praised a poor woman who gave all she had because it showed she was trusting God to give her all she needed today and forever.
Think: How can you honor God with your wealth? Why would you do that? What would you expect to happen as a result?
Pray: Ask God to help you to show your trust in his ability to provide for you by willingly giving away some of your money and stuff to and for him.
Do: Ask a wise Christian you trust how they decide how much is right to give to God in dollars, time, energy, and attention.