What Kind of Giving Is Worship?

In review of Proverbs 3:9 it says, ”Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income” (TLB).

Today’s verse comes from Proverbs 3:5-10. In verse 9 it says to, honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.

This is the practice of giving for God's use, the first and best portion of my harvest or income, and not the leftovers. One of my highest values that I want to shape is to give God the first and best part of my income. Doing this puts into practice that God, not material things, have first place in my life. It also helps me realize and recognize that all of my resources belong to him (I am only a manager or steward). Giving to God first helps me to conquer my greed and helps to manage God's resources. It opens me up to receive God's special blessings.

There’s nothing I can give God that he needs. But when I give him an offering, I’m saying, “God, I love you. I’m thinking of you. I want you first in my life.”

The Bible says, “Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income” (Proverbs 3:9 TLB). This is also called tithing. Tithing actually means 10 percent, and it’s the first part of my income.

The practice of tithing in my life doesn’t just honor God. It is also an act of worship. But the Bible says that not every kind of giving is an act of worship. So what kind of giving is worship?

“On every Lord’s Day each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn” (1 Corinthians 16:2 TLB).

Worship giving is undesignated. It means that I don’t control it, I don’t direct it, I don’t tell God what to do with it.

Worship giving is given when and where I worship. I give the first part of my money on the first day of the week and say, “God, you’re first in my life.”

Worship giving is planned. I don’t just give spontaneously. I think it through.

Worship giving is proportional. If I didn’t earn anything this week, I don’t give anything. If I earn a little, I give a little. If I earn a lot, I give a lot.

God wants my heart more than anything else. He doesn’t want my money; he wants what it represents. The most sensitive nerve in the body is the one that goes from the heart to the wallet.

Bottom Line:

Honor God with your wealth and with the best part of what you produce.

What this means to me:

I put God first in my life by giving the first and best part of everything I produce and have.

In summary, one of my highest value that I want to shape is putting and giving to God first. In putting Him first with my income I demonstrate that I want him first. I don't direct what I give, I just give. It's a form of worship for me. I think it through and do it with a purpose. I recognize that God doesn't want or really need my stuff. What he wants is what it represents.

Father thank you for the reminder that in everything I do, I need to put you first. My income is a great way to demonstrate it, but I can also put you first in my life by keeping you at the center of anything I do. Today I pray for your wisdom and guidance for my day and the decisions I need to make and in how I lead people. Give me a heart for responding to them in a loving and kind manner. I want to serve and make a difference with my life. In your Son Jesus name I pray, Amen!