Proverbs 3:1-12, Concerning the Collection (1 Cor. 16:1-2)

Posted on Posted in Devotions Tagged with ,

January 30, Proverbs 3:1-12

2 Cor. 8:1-15; 9:6-15 “Those that honour me, I will honour” (1 Sam. 2:30).

Concerning the Collection (1 Cor. 16:1-2)

These verses (9-10) deal with the unpopular subject of giving, a topic too often exploited. Some horde money; some squander it; some use it selfishly; some will kill for it. Love of power and love of money are both great corrupters, so don’t emphasise verse 10 and forget verse 9. This is a matter that has been misunderstood by many in the past and misapplied by others in the present. The order is, first honour God in all your dealings, especially your finances, and so, you will have His blessing (Acts 20:35).

  1. The Privilege: Honour the Lord. This is the primary emphasis here. What a privilege that sinful man is called to Honour the Lord God! Giving of your substance is used by way of illustration. For man, this means much more than giving money. It includes your devotion, your thankfulness, and your trust. It means using your money prayerfully, as God provides and directs. It is a call to yield your all for God’s glory. This must include making restitution for any unjust profits, and reconciliation wherever offense has occurred. The highest honour in giving is to have your gift accepted by God.
  2. The Present: Thy substance is what is to be presented. Thy substance is what you are entrusted with, and includes your time, your talents, and your treasure. This, after all, is what you are worth, your true capital! All thy increase is your profit, your revenue. Thus, your offering must be the first fruits, the best of your wares, not just what’s left over, the dregs! You honour God when your give Him first share of the fruit of your labour with heartfelt thankfulness. All that any of us has is given in trust. That’s what we piously sing, isn’t it? “We give Thee but thine own…, a trust, O Lord, from Thee.” Surely, this must include being honourable in all our dealings with both God and man. It may even mean giving when times are hard, testing our faith. In OT times, giving was legally prescribed, but was often insincerely evaded (Isa. 43:22-24; Mk. 12:44). Christian giving was on the basis of grace, of bounty, and example, but that too has suffered much abuse. How tragic that large congregations must beg for money from reluctant members.
  3. The Produce: So shall thy barns be filled… Here giving is gain. It is the hand that gives, gathers! Verse 10 begins with a conjunction, so or then. It connects these verses and states the outcome as cause and effect. These terms are figurative expressions for “the highest good in the highest degree.” Godliness is the promised condition of all true gain (Mt. 6:33, Heb 6:10). This is another generalisation found here and elsewhere in Scripture (Dt. 28:1-14; Mal 3:10), and experience. If God blesses you with barns filled and presses overflowing, it simply means that He entrusts you with more to give. You do not invest in God with your gifts. It is He who invests in you! The one who honours God in getting and giving will generally have as much as he truly needs and what’s more, a cheerful heart.

Thought: “He who gives only when he is asked has waited too long” (Anon).

Prayer: Help me to be a good steward of all that Thou hast entrusted to me.