Wise Investing
Today’s Verse:
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. ~Proverbs 3:9-10
Investing is putting your money to work so that you are making more money. It is when we place a sum of money into a business, a security, real estate, or hard assets with the hope that this amount will grow and the investment will do well. Wise investing is when we invest in the right thing and at the right time. Our devotion, this morning, is on God’s divine principle for wise investing.
We see the priority.
“Honour the LORD with thy substance….” We are commanded to glorify and honor God with what He has entrusted to us. The word for “substance” means “riches” or “wealth.” We must recognize and acknowledge that God has ownership rights on everything we have been blessed with. “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). We honor God by acknowledging that what we have is His gift to us. Whatever it might be, we must acknowledge that it is a gift from God. As faithful stewards, we must be willing to give for His glory. Worship will always involve our giving. I always tell our church that“worship without giving is not true worship.” Don’t have a stingy attitude when it comes to your wealth. Quietly let the Lord know that it’s all His.
We see the practice.
“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” “Firstfruits” refer to the very first picks of the harvest. The first way God is honored with our firstfruits is when we tithe. The tithe is the first ten percent of our gross income and investment gains. The tithe is holy to the Lord. The tithe is the Lord’s. The second way we honor God with our firstfruits is when we participate in the special offerings of the church. This includes giving to missions, building expansion projects, love offerings, or whatever special offering that will help with a need or project. What we give must be seen as wise investing on our part in the work of God. It is money invested for souls to be saved, disciples to be developed, and God’s work to be expanded.
We see the product.
“So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” As we wisely invest in the work of God, God takes care of us. Our investment into His work results in God blessing us with additional growth so that we can invest in His work again. Solomon uses agricultural terms to help us understand how God blesses those who invest in His work. Our barns shall be filled with plenty. This means that we are blessed with an extraordinary harvest. The winepresses will be overflowing with an abundance of freshly-squeezed grape juice. To bring this into our modern-day application, this describes job promotions, salary increases, investment gains, inheritances, and successful business transactions. The heart of a wise investor in the work of God is that every blessing from God is to be reinvested so that God can bless again. The more we shovel into God’s work, the more He shovels back to us.
Wise investing is seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, so that all these things will be added to us. Put God first today in your finances. Trust in Him to make all grace abound towards to you.
Have a financially-prudent God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Jeremiah 51-52