Proverbs 3:1,5-10 (NJKV) My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; … Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Honour the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
Throughout the ages, the debate has centred on whether to worship God or money. One can serve only one master. The opening passage says that as we trust the Lord with all our hearts and acknowledge Him, which means consecrating our plans to Him, He would direct our paths, or “make our path straight” (NIV). Then, it goes on to say we should honour Him.
By the time we get to the verse about honouring Him, it is assumed that we have chosen to live a consecrated life, and seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, knowing that He will add other things to us. As Christians, we choose to worship God and be stewards of the money He entrusts to us, because we have concluded that God is the source of all our blessings. We seek God’s face, not His hand. We do not pursue blessings because we understand that as we honour Him by diligently seeking Him and trusting Him, blessings will follow.
In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, God listed the blessings that would come upon His people if they obeyed His law. In the opening passage, He also started giving fatherly advice to His children, where He addressed them as sons, by asking them to observe His law so that they would be prosperous and successful. God wants to provide us with enough so we have no lack, and even to bless us materially.
After diligently following God’s teachings, the Israelites were reminded to honour God with their financial means, as this would help them to remember that He had given them the land of Canaan.
Trusting the Lord involves our finances. We honour God by giving Him the first and the best, rather than what is left over or about to spoil. The prerequisite is to honour Him with the firstfruits, and then our barns will be filled with plenty, and our vats overflow with new wine. This is God’s requirement; it not only tests the hearts of the people but also leads us to examine our own hearts.
Why would God want the people to honour Him with their possessions? We must remember that the Lord is the source of our provision and blessings. God will use individuals, companies, and businesses to bless us materially. This keeps us humble and reliant on Him, so that we will continue to believe in God and His Word.
Sermon Series：Wise Saying
活出尊荣上帝的生命
箴言3:1-13 我儿，不要忘记我的法则。你心要谨守我的诫命；…你要专心仰赖耶和华，不可倚靠自己的聪明。在你一切所行的事上，都要认定他，他必指引你的路。不要自以为有智慧。要敬畏耶和华，远离恶事。这便医治你的肚脐，滋润你的百骨。你要以财物，和一切初熟的土产，尊荣耶和华。这样，你的仓房，必充满有余，你的酒榨，有新酒盈溢。
古往今来，敬拜上帝还是金钱一直成为争论的焦点。一个人只能侍奉一个主。开头的经文说，当我们全心仰赖主并认定祂，就是将我们的计划分别为圣献给祂，祂就会指引我们的路，或“修直我们的路”。然后，经文接着说，我们应当尊荣他。
当我们读到关于尊荣上帝的经文时，我们假设我们已经选择过分别为圣的生活，先寻求祂的国和祂的义，因为我们知道祂会将其它的加给我们。作为基督徒，我们选择敬拜上帝并成为祂托付给我们的钱财的管家，因为我们已经得出结论，上帝是我们所有祝福的源头。我们寻求的是神的面，而不是祂的手。我们不追求祝福，因为我们明白，只要我们藉着寻求和仰赖上帝祂来尊荣祂，祝福就会随之而来。
在申命记28章1到14节， 上帝列出了如果祂的子民遵守祂的律法就会得到的祝福。在开头的经文中，上帝开始给祂的子民们慈父般的劝告，称他们为儿子，并嘱咐他们遵守祂的法则，这样他们就会得亨通和顺利。上帝想要给我们充足的供应，这样我们就不会缺乏，甚至在物质上祝福我们。
在殷勤地遵循上帝的教导之后，以色列人被提醒要用他们的财物来尊荣上帝，因为这会帮助他们记住祂已经赐给他们迦南地。
仰赖耶和华包括我们在财务上的信靠。尊荣上帝就是献上初熟和最好的给祂，而不是将剩下或即将朽坏的献给祂。先决条件是用初熟的果子来尊荣祂，然后我们的仓房才会充满丰盛，我们的酒桶才会盈溢新酒。这是上帝的要求; 这不仅考验着人们的内心，也引导我们省察自己的内心。
为什么上帝要人们用他们的财物来尊荣祂呢？我们必须记住，主是我们供应和祝福的源头。上帝会使用个人、公司和生意来祝福我们。这使我们保持谦卑和倚靠祂，这样我们就会持续相信上帝和祂的话语。
讲章系列：智慧的言语
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