Day Five-Honor the Lord From Your Wealth

"Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine" (Proverbs 3:9-10). (NASB)

"Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over" (Proverbs 3:9-10). (The Message)

The not so secret, secret of being blessed abundantly and prosperous is in our giving. I was reading the other day an Internet article on Tips of Millionaires and one of the tips was "Being Generous". We cannot escape the truth that in order to receive I must give. The bible shares,"...whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap."

Notice in the text, that the writer makes an assumption that the individual is operating in covenant with an abundance of resources and weatlth. The covenant of God (See Deuteronomy 28:1-14) is clear that the believer will walk in abundance of wealth and prosperity. It is our birthright! The Father blesses us with our resources and we then hold on to them uncertain and insecure about our futures.

We live in an age of selfishness, where individuals hold on to their wealth, not recognizing the spiritual and universal law and principles that govern life. When we hold on to our resources in a miserly attempt to gain, it throws of the balance of life. It is like a farmer who produces a great harvest. The farmer is entitled to everything that he harvests. He is the one who planted, he is the one who had to fight off pestilence and in climate weather. The farmer is the one who took all of the risk. However, if the farmer does not reinvest in seeding the field, if the farmer does not invest in giving of the crops abundance away. He always finds himself with less. I once pastored in a rural community in Surry County, Virginia. Several of my members where landowners and farmers. Every year they would make it a point to give a "tithe" (ten percent) of their crops to those in the community who were "less fortunate". Their giving was a percentage of their "first" and "best" of the harvest. As a result, they always prospered.

My friends, it is not just about our finances to gain more in a material sense. The last thing that we need is to produce individuals who are into conspicuous consumption. But we have to realize that it is about being in the flow of the Spirit and in harmony with the Word and the principles and the truths of the Word. When we operate in the principle of honoring the Lord from our wealth, when we bless him with the first and the best of all that we have, we open up more blessings in our lives.

As we open up the capacity to receive, we are able to bless many more individuals. That is the reason for prosperity and abundance.

Make no mistake about it, the proverb is metaphorical of the resources of our hands in our day, it relates to money. We must honor the Lord from our wealth in our giving. We honor the Lord in our giving to the Church, which is His agency on earth, that does His work and will. The place of worship in the Old Testament as well at the New Testament was given the responsibility to be the distribution point for the poor and needy. But also, the place of worship, particularly in the New Testament was the place where the Gospel was preached and the resources financed the ministry. "Honor the Lord from your wealth" make it a point to "tithe", which is a giving of the tenth of your harvest.

It is in our giving that we develop the capacity for a greater harvest and an ability to bless many more.

Living with Faith and Power and Creating a Phenomenal Life!

Bishop Keith Russell Lee
Hoffman Estates, IL and Los Angeles, CA

FOCUS: Giving the "First" and My "Best" to God in the totality of our being and resources.

Spiritual Prayer Treatment

Father, I offer myself,
in the totality of my being,
mind, body and spirit
I give to you from my wealth.
I give from the first and my best.
These are nothing more than blessings
you have given that I share with others.
Lord, may be giving be a blessing to others
and finance your Church and Her ministries.
I open myself to receive the blessings from
my giving. I expand in my consciousness
to have greater capacity to receive.
Thank you for the ability to share.
In the Name of Jesus and Through His Power!
Amen! And So it IS!

Don't Forget the Power Faith and Living Inspirational Call with Bishop Keith Russell Lee every morning during our 40 Days of Focus/Fasting at 6:00 AM CST. Telephone Number 712-451-6000 Access Code 945763