“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income. Then your barns will be full, and your vats will overflow with fresh wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10, GW)
God’s promises are so good! Not only does he promise to bless you personally when you give generously, but he also promises to bless your work and your business.
Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income. Then your barns will be full, and your vats will overflow with fresh wine” (GW). The first part of that verse is the premise: You give your tithe. The second part is God’s promise: When you tithe, God will fill your barns to overflowing.
Now, most people don’t have a barn to fill to overflowing or even vats to fill with the finest wine.
In Bible times, almost everyone was a farmer. Whatever their barn contained represented their business and investments and livelihood. If the barn was filled, it was a sign of great success and blessing.
God is saying that if you learn to be generous, he will bless your business and your work. He will bless your career and your investments. As I mentioned yesterday, sometimes those blessings will be material. But many times they’ll be the spiritual blessings that come from a generous heart. The Bible also says in Proverbs 11:25, “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (NLT).
If you own a business, do you want it to prosper and increase in profits? If you’re an entrepreneur or a venture capitalist, do you want God’s blessing on your new projects? Of course you do. If you want God’s help, not just in your family but also in your business, then you have to fulfill the premise of his promise. You have to be generous with your resources.
“Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers [God’s] blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures” (Deuteronomy 15:10, MSG).
Prayer
Lord, I thank You for the many blessings You give me. Let me be generous to those around me with the time, talent and treasure You provide me, and let it glorify Your Name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
