Proverbs 3:9-10 "Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: (10) So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine."
"So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out
with new wine." We sometimes want to jump to this part of the lesson
and enjoy the bountiful blessings that God has promised us. We want our bank
accounts full. We want a good job. We want a nice house and car. We want more
"grown-up" toys such as boats and bikes and all the other things. We
want... We want... We want.... And when we read verse 10, we read that
God has promised to fill our storehouses with plenty. He has promised to
provide all our needs according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus. See
Philippians 4:19. But we cannot skip over verse 9 of our text today.
"Honour the Lord." What is included with giving honor to the
Lord? What do I mean when I say that I give honor and glory unto the
Lord? We read in Psalm 29:2, "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto
his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." We are
indeed giving honour and glory unto the Lord when we worship Him in our hearts
and minds. We are giving honour and glory when we praise Him with our lips
through Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. But there is more included in
the thought from today's verses of Scripture. Yes, we are to honour God with
our praise, but there is the sense in which we are to honour God with our
gratitude, which includes giving back to God that which is due Him. Honour Him
with our substance, which means we are to give back to God a part of our wealth
(material goods). I understand there are different ways of giving back to
God. We are to give of our money and our time. We are to go to God's House
where we give our worship and our praise. But mainly we are to give the Lord our
hearts by setting our affection upon Him instead of things of this world. Let's
read those two verses again and see if there is a different meaning that comes
to us:
"Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine
increase: (10) So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy
presses shall burst out with new wine."