Honor the LORD (Proverbs 3:9-10)
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Proverbs 3:9-10
‘Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.’
Today, we wrap up our three-day journey through Proverbs 3. We've talked about trusting the Lord, fearing the Lord, and now we see an outward expression of both: honoring the Lord.
But what does it mean to honor the Lord? And with what are we to honor Him?
Verse 9 makes it clear:
"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce."
Let’s pause for a moment on that word firstfruits. That word, to me, is important. It shows us it’s not just about giving to God—it’s about giving Him the first and the best. God isn’t an afterthought. He’s not someone we fit in after we’ve taken care of ourselves. Honoring Him means putting Him first. God should be at the top and beginning of your budget.
And this doesn’t just apply to our finances. When I say “budget,” yes, I mean your financial budget, but I also mean your time budget, your daily budget, your relational budget. God deserves the firstfruits of everything. He deserves the first of your finances, the first of your day, and the best of your time and attention in your relationships.
My point is simple: God deserves to be first.
That’s what honoring Him looks like—putting Him first in every aspect of our lives.
And when God has His rightful place in our hearts and lives, then life becomes a picture more like verse 10: "Then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine."
Focus on those words: ‘filled’ and ‘bursting’.
When something is filled, there’s no room left for anything else. And when something is bursting, it’s overflowing—meaning you have more than enough.
That means when you honor the Lord with your wealth, your time, your relationships—with the first and the best—He blesses you in abundance. God’s blessings aren’t stingy. They fill you. They’re overflowing. They’re excessive in the best possible way.
And you can’t outgive God in any area of life. There’s not a single soul in heaven who looks back and says, “I gave too much to God, and He didn’t provide for me.” It just doesn’t happen. God doesn’t forget. He doesn’t fail to supply.
In fact, God directly challenges us to trust Him in this area.
In Malachi 3:10, He says:
"Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need."
That’s God’s promise. He blesses those who honor Him with their wealth and their firstfruits.
So, let me ask you today:
What does it look like to give God your first and best this week?
First with your wealth—how can you honor God with your finances?
Second with your time—will you give Him the first moments of your day, or just the leftovers?
Third with your relationships—will prioritize Him, the people, and conversations that honor Him?
Take a moment to reflect. And let’s pray over these things today.
