Give to the Lord

May 05, 2025

Warning: This email is about God & money

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Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled completely, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NET)

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Something interesting about the Proverbs that I learned in Seminary:

They’re always true, except when they’re not.

That’s about as clear as mud, haha.

What my professor meant is that the Proverbs are riddles of the wise, that they are true in a general direction but they may not always accurately predict specific outcomes.

Of course there are people who are generous with their wealth, honor the Lord with their giving, and find themselves in times of financial need (i.e., unfilled barns). Does this invalidate the Proverb here?

No.

There’s a general lesson — a truth — to be learned here:

Be generous with your money & profits to God first, then see the blessings fill up your vaults.

It’s not actually a financial matter at all … it’s a heart issue.

Am I going to be a man who is generous toward God with the profits I make and the money I accumulate? It would be wise of me to, because it’s not merely my awesome talent that makes me profitable, it’s God’s blessings.

I like to think of it as being in business with God.

That God is co-owner at Ricky Ketchum, Inc. And as part owner, He gets voting power and a cut of all the profits. (Admittedly, not a perfect metaphor, but it helps me).

I hope you’ll reflect on these verses today.

Maybe even be challenged by them.

And, perhaps, you’ll open a new business with a new owner in charge.

— Ricky Ketchum

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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