March 18 – The Means to More Means (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“Your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”(Proverbs 3:10)

IN WORD:
The purpose of all creation is to honor God. So it only makes sense that when He is honored — in this case, by our first fruits — that He will grant increase and give His blessing. Honor begets more honor. Those who have dealt faithfully in small things will be given even greater things. Those who have glorified Him with their wealth will be given more by which to glorify him even more.
This is no guarantee that those who tithe will become rich. The Bible never says such a thing. It is a promise, however, that God will never be stingy with those who are generous toward Him. It is not in His nature to take and never give. Quite the opposite, in fact. He always gives more than He receives. He who did not withhold His own Son for us will not give grudgingly with any of His unlimited bounty.
This is what Kingdom living is all about: taking the stuff of this world and using it for eternity. The physical becomes spiritual. The corruption of money is redeemed as an investment in lives. We have an opportunity with our income to declare our agreement with our created purpose. Will we honor God, as he intended? Or do we only look for enough means to get by? The means to greater means is to abandon all to Him, for His glory. He will not take it and refuse to support you. He can’t. That’s not who He is.

IN DEED:
Have you stated unequivocally that you are in line with God’s purpose for creation — to give Him honor? It’s more than a verbal statement, of course. It reaches into every area of our lives and is demonstrated by our actions. Ore than our words. One way to honor Him is by dedicating all our resources to His use, giving a generous portion to His work in this world. By this He is glorified. And by this we are proven trustworthy to handle more resources.
God calls us to be like Him. He has proven over and over again that He is by nature an extravagant giver. Are you?

“God is more anxious to bestow His blessings on us than we are to receive them.” -St. Augustine-