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God Promises to Reward the Faithful
Proverbs 3:9-10
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.
Have you ever heard anyone misquote 1 Timothy 6:10 by saying, "Money is the root of all evil"? According to this Proverb, financial wealth is one of the ways God rewards faithful stewards. Money is not evil. Money is just money. It's inanimate. It can't do anything but sit there. Let's take a quick look at what Paul actually wrote to Timothy:
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.- 1 Timothy 6:10
Money isn't evil. Loving money is evil. Greed is evil, it is idolatry.
We are told in this Proverb that if we use our wealth to honor God, He promises to bless us even more.
First of all, God is commanding faithful stewardship. He wants our firstfruits, the very best of our production not the leftovers. Have you ever heard the financial principle of "pay yourself first"? Well, that's not Biblical. The Biblical principle is "pay God first". If you're not paying God first, then money has become an idol in your life and you are in danger of becoming one of the people Paul warns Timothy about in the verse above.
Paying God first means that you set aside a portion of your income immediately when you receive it. The New Testament doesn't command a specific amount or percentage like the Old Testament (10%). The most important part is that it is from your heart, it is given joyfully, and God gets His first.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.- 1 Corinthians 9:6-8
This doesn't mean that you have to give money to a church. Godly financial stewardship is simply this: Set aside a portion of your income every pay period (whatever you have decided beforehand). Give that money to support Christ's Church in some capacity:
- your local congregation
- a ministry whose mission is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ
- Chaplains in Schools
- Answers in Genesis
- a missionary to Africa
- Koine
- just pick a ministry that you believe in
Does God need your money? No. He graciously gives us this opportunity to show our love for Him, and our appreciation for all of our blessings by honoring this command.
Second, this is not saying what false teachers like Joel Osteen teach: that if you give y God will reward you with 10 x y. If you give faithfully and aren't rewarded with abundant financial wealth that isn't because your faith isn't strong enough, it's because God decides how He will reward each of His children. If your motivation for giving to Christ's Church is simply for the return, then your heart is corrupt and you have pierced yourself with many griefs.
Guard your heart from this temptation. Listen to Paul's warning: For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
God promises to reward those who are faithful with their blessings. Don't get caught in the trap of trying to dictate to God what that reward should be. I promise He has something so much better planned than you could ever dream up on your own: Eternal life in Heaven!
God bless you and keep you
Jason Fredrick
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