Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser
Far beyond a mere financial prescription, scripture beckons believers to intertwine their material prosperity with a deeper sense of purpose and reverence for the divine. Your finances often serve as a reflection of your values. Understanding the connection between values and finances will allow you to make intentional choices that align with your beliefs and contribute to a more meaningful and purposeful journey in life. By learning to handle your finances God’s way, you will have the key to unlocking His blessing in your finances. All wealth and prosperity ultimately come from God, and discerning how to wield it in ways that echo a commitment to honouring Him is of utmost importance. Be encouraged to acknowledge and prioritize God in your financial matters. In this message, I delve into the intersections of faith, finance, and the ethical considerations of stewarding one’s resources. Be blessed as you read.
“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” (Proverbs 3:9-10). The Wise Men from the Bible impart a timeless lesson on honouring God with our wealth or possessions through their actions in the story of Jesus’ birth. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Mathew 2:1-2, 11).
When the wise men from the East visited Jesus, they gave him gifts. They had not come simply to pay respects out of dutiful reverence. The lesson on honouring God with your possessions is vividly portrayed in the gifts they brought to honour the infant Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were not just ordinary offerings. They were precious gifts. These were heartfelt gifts of care and love. They had come to worship. In fact, by bringing gifts for the King, they partly fulfilled a prophecy because the Old Testament declared that Gentiles from around the world would come to the Messiah, bearing gifts that actually included gold and frankincense (Psalm 72:10-15; Isaiah 60:1-6).
These men were indeed paying their respects to the great Jewish king, even bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh to honour Him. These gifts represented their desire to use their wealth to worship the Messiah, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The wise men had come to meet the greatest King of all, the great King who would rule over the whole earth. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and language should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
“The Son of Man” – a title Jesus often used for Himself, identifying Himself as both human and divine. The wise men expected to meet an extraordinary person. In fact, He could not be considered a mere mortal at all. It is no wonder these men would have been eager to meet the King of kings and honour Him with gold. According to (Daniel 7:13-14), this “Son of Man” would come with the clouds of Heaven. He would be served by all the people of the earth – from every nation and language. This “Son of Man”, the Lord Jesus Christ would receive an eternal Kingdom with unlimited dominion and glory. That great monarch would be immortal and indestructible. Truly this was to be the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. That is why they came with gifts of great value. Amongst them was gold which in Jesus’ day would have been a wonderful financial blessing.
They had no more precious resource to worship the highest-ranking King of all time and eternity. “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Somehow, the wise men understood that Jesus was more than a man – even more than a king. They had not come merely to esteem a great king, but to worship the divine King. In Scripture, neither mortals nor angels are permitted to receive worship. But Jesus was greater than a man, He was greater than the angels. He was and is the unique and eternal Son of God. Yes, they had come to worship but they didn’t come empty-handed. They came with precious gifts to honour the King of kings and the Lords of lords.
" The story of the Wise Men must inspire you to give not only material resources, but also the best of your time, talent, and love in worship and service to God and others. "
The Bible says a generous person will be made rich. The Wise Men’s generosity extended beyond the material gifts, however. They exemplified a generous heart willing to give the best they had in honouring the Messiah. Their offerings were not only expressions of homage but also acts of honouring the Lord that reflected the depth of their reverence for the divine. This story teaches a profound lesson on a way to honour God, emphasizing that to truly honour God involves giving from the heart, offering one’s best, and acknowledging the worthiness of the recipient. The Wise Men’s gifts were not mere tokens; they were sacrificial offerings, demonstrating a generosity that goes beyond the ordinary.
In the Christian tradition, the story of the Wise Men inspires believers to approach generosity with a similar spirit. It encourages giving not only material resources but also the best of one’s time, talents, and love in worship and service to God and others. The lesson from the Wise Men resonates through the ages, challenging individuals to cultivate a spirit of generosity that reflects the love and devotion witnessed in the humble setting of Jesus’ birth. “Honour the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10)
The wisdom of this world says well, I would give but I just don’t have it. If I were to give, I would be even worse off, I’d have less money. That’s the way that the wisdom of the world looks at it. But God says no, when you put him first and you take a portion of what you’ve got and give it away, you’ll have more. To the natural mind or to the carnal way of thinking, to those who are leaning on their own understanding, this doesn’t make sense. If you have money and you give some away, you will end up having less than you had before, and that’s true if you don’t factor God into this matter. But because you have a God who says honour the Lord with your substance and the first fruits of all your increase and your barns are going to be so full, and your presses will overflow with new wine. We just need to trust him and do as he commands us.
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness (2 Corinthians 9:10). All of these promises will work for you because there is a God who has made these promises. Therefore, when you have some money and give 10% away, you will end up having twice the amount you had before because that’s what the word of God says. The word is saying you get a hundredfold return in this life.
If you really believe that, then you will do it. Who in the world would not take $1000, give $100 away and end up getting $2000? Who wouldn’t do that? Anybody would do that if they believed. If you aren’t doing it, if you aren’t giving, then you don’t believe. You can give an excuse and say, I would if I could, but I don’t have it. You can make any excuse you want, but you do not honour the Lord, and you do not really reverence him. You don’t trust him. You aren’t giving him the first fruits, you’re giving him the leftovers and that’s the reason your barns aren’t full and your presses aren’t overflowing with new wine. You may say, it’s not that simple, you don’t understand my situation. And I will tell you there are no exceptions. The word of God is absolute, it’s the touchstone of truth. It might be that you just can’t believe that. And that’s the problem right there, you just don’t believe it. If you believe it, it will work for you. This will work for anybody. It’ll work for anybody, but you have to believe it with all your heart.
When you give to the needy or the poor you honour God. When you give to good works you honour God. “8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). This text of scripture is stating that God is willing and able to supply every need of the cheerful giver, but that doesn’t happen automatically. There are conditions to be met. Galatians 6:9-10 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
