595-Recognizing Him in All Things Will Ensure Abundance#
(JP Text Group - Shalom Organization)
Peace be with you, dear family, and welcome to your arrival. Today is Sunday, and we will look at God's words together.
The topic of today's sharing is: Recognizing Him in All Things Will Ensure Abundance.
Let's first read Proverbs 3:1-10:
1 My son, do not forget my law (or translated: teaching); keep your heart with my commandments; 2 For they will add long days, years of life, and peace to you. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase. 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Let's pray together.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for giving us such a wonderful time to come before Your words. Through the sharing of these words, let us learn Your laws, recognizing You in all things, believing that when we rely on You in all things, we will surely have abundance. We commit this time to the Holy Spirit, to renew our thoughts and ideas through Your words, so that we may receive revelation and strength from Your words. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
This is Solomon's advice to the youth. He summarized the experiences and lessons of life over his lifetime. If people can heed his words, they will surely take fewer detours and experience fewer failures.
Let's look at verses 1-2:
1 My son, do not forget my law (or translated: teaching); keep your heart with my commandments; 2 For they will add long days, years of life, and peace to you.
Looking at the first sentence, do not forget my law. The law here refers to teachings and instructions. Keep your heart with my commandments. Why should we do this? Because they will add long days, years of life, and peace to you.
We must not forget God's laws. If you are willing to keep His commandments from your heart, keeping means that you are very cautious and persistent in following His words. When a person is willing to live according to God's words and teachings, blessings will come. The Bible actually writes a lot about blessings, but these blessings will come to those who are willing to follow them.
Many believers think that once they believe in Jesus, they will receive various blessings. In fact, at the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior, God has already prepared His blessings for us spiritually. How can we experience these blessings personally, see them, and touch them? It is by acting according to God's words that these spiritual blessings will come upon you.
Here, Solomon emphasizes that when you do not forget God's laws and keep and follow His commandments, He will add long days to you. Long days mean good days.
Deuteronomy 11:18-20:
18 "You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth."
In Deuteronomy 11, God speaks to the Israelites, telling them: You shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. In short, what does this mean? You should see God's words in every visible place. You should keep God's words in your heart and teach your children to follow God's words.
Whether sitting at home, walking along the way, lying down, or rising up, you should talk about God's words at all times and everywhere. Moreover, you should write God's words on your house and city gates. Why does God want them to do this? The purpose is so that they can see God's words at all times and be able to follow them.
Verse 21 states that when they do this, their days and the days of their children will be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to their fathers to give them. This refers to good days continually increasing.
Let's think back: in life, are there more good days or bad days? If you think there are more good days, then do not overlook Solomon's advice and teachings. If you regularly follow God's teachings, your good days will increase, as numerous as the days of heaven over the earth. God hopes that we can experience His abundant blessings every day.
Another blessing is the years of life and peace. The wisdom in Proverbs is not just about acquiring knowledge, expanding intelligence, and solving problems, but also about gaining life. Therefore, the mention of years of life and peace refers to peace and longevity. If a person lacks health and peace but has longevity, that is a curse.
Everyone remembers Adam and Eve. After they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God drove them out of the Garden of Eden and said, "Now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever."
Is God stingy and does not want them to eat from the tree of life? Not at all. Because at that time, Adam and Eve had already sinned and were living a self-centered lifestyle. Their confrontation with God and mutual shifting of responsibility shows that they already had evil in their hearts.
If a person has evil in their heart and then eats from the tree of life, living forever with that evil will only increase the evil, and if they do not die, it is indeed a great curse. Therefore, God does not allow sinful people to find so-called eternal life in this world. If sinful people have their lives ended, their sins will also end, which is actually a blessing for them.
Think about it: if a person has suffered a lot of harm and has diseases but never dies, isn't that a great suffering for them? But what kind of life does God want for us? A peaceful life, a long life without suffering.
According to God's truth, those who obey their parents will live longer and better. What does this mean? Does it mean that those who do not listen to their parents' discipline will suffer from diseases, accidents, or die young? This is not God's curse; it means that if a child is not disciplined or cared for, they often find it difficult to survive, and the chances of failure and problems are too high. Because their lives will constantly involve trial and error, the results are predictable.
Ephesians 6:1-2:
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise.
Let's look at this passage: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. If parents believe in the Lord and understand God's words, teaching their children with God's words, then as children, obeying their parents will bring them blessings.
Verse 2 says: Honor your father and mother, that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.
What does it mean to honor your parents? It does not just mean providing food and drink for them; it means listening to what they say about the Lord's words. From Solomon's perspective, his life was actually a failure. Although he obtained almost everything that everyone desires, he failed before God. He hoped that his son would listen to his words and live according to God's words.
So, dear family, if you have believing parents, you must listen to their words. Remember the truths from the Bible they teach you, for this will bring you blessings! If you listen to your parents in this way, you are honoring them. Amen. If your parents have not yet believed in Jesus, bringing God's way to them so they can believe is also honoring your parents. Because you are giving them eternal life. Amen. But here, it mainly refers to how parents treat their children.
To honor your parents emphasizes that as children, listening to your parents will bring blessings. Will we not live shorter lives on earth if we do not listen to our parents or honor them? This is not the meaning at all. God's intention is that if you do not listen to your parents' teachings of God's words, you will surely drift further away from God, constantly face setbacks, suffer failures, and even encounter dangers without realizing it, often losing your life at a young age; or bear great pressure in your heart, ultimately unable to live long.
Therefore, if our parents believe in Jesus and teach us the words of the Bible, as children, listening to them will bring blessings on earth. Amen. It will also lead to longevity. But what is mainly discussed here? The passage mentions the years of life and peace. Longevity and a happy life, a peaceful mind, originate from obeying God's words. If a person always feels uncertain about the future and believes that various problems keep occurring, having a guilty conscience does not benefit physical health at all.
A clear conscience brings longevity and physical health; thus, a person's physical health stems from spiritual health. Those who are always gloomy will not have good health, and longevity will be difficult. When a person lives according to God's words, peace and longevity will naturally come. Dear family, do you already know how to live long on earth? Your heart must be filled with peace, and possessing God's words will lead to longevity.
Verses 3-4: 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
How can we live with dignity and value before people and find favor in the sight of God? Proverbs also tells us the answer. Here, mercy can be understood as kindness and love, and truth can be understood as loyalty and keeping promises. This principle is very practical even today. Do not let mercy and truth forsake you. Many people rely on deceit in business; you can deceive others once or twice, but as time goes on, that person's credibility will decrease, and eventually, no one will trust them, and they will not succeed in anything they do.
Only those who can hold onto mercy and truth will find that their energy becomes greater as time goes on. Therefore, God says: Do not let mercy and truth forsake you. How should we do this? Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
What do people wear around their necks? Necklaces, gems, not just for beauty but also hoping these will bring them peace and good luck. But do those things really work? Not at all; they are merely psychological comfort. Only when a person's heart is filled with mercy and truth can they bring real blessings. This metaphor means to keep them in mind and remind yourself at all times, just as Moses instructed.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9:
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; 7 you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Why does God repeatedly emphasize such things to the Israelites? Because it is too important. As children of God, we should know what to bind around our necks and what to write on our hearts: it is God's words. Amen. Although this is just a metaphor, it emphasizes that God's words can bring direct changes to your life, allowing you to gain life, and it is abundant life. So what should you do? You must keep God's words in your heart.
What does it mean to keep them in your heart? They should become your standard in your heart, and His words should become the principles of your life. Look at how few people in the last days have integrity and kindness. Therefore, in the last days, to manifest God's image, you must first keep God's words in your heart; you will not suffer loss. Keeping God's words in your heart will bring you blessings; diligently teaching your children God's words will bless them and help them avoid many detours. Amen. So what will we gain?
Verse 4: 4 So you will find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
Some may say, "How come I didn't know God's words have such great power?" Just look at the Israelites, a very small nation with not many people, yet they are far ahead in the world. The Israelites have indeed adhered to God's words and passed them down from generation to generation. They have literally passed down the Torah, teaching their children God's words whenever they have the chance.
We might wonder what use this has. We can see that Jews are not underestimated in this world; the vast majority of them are very successful. Amen. We see the blessings that come upon them, and are we not a more blessed group of people?
They are under the Old Covenant. If you act according to God's words, you will find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man, and all kinds of good things will come to you. Others will surely see your uniqueness and wisdom. What is surprising? Many people often say they are more blessed than the Jews, that those under the New Covenant are more favored by God than those under the Old Covenant. But the reality is that the vast majority of believers living under the New Covenant are not as blessed as the Jews.
What is the difference between us and the Jews? It is right here. They steadfastly execute God's words. Although they are following the Old Covenant, they are still very blessed, at least blessed on earth. What about us, the believers under the New Covenant? Spiritually, we already possess all of God's blessings, yet we do not see many of these blessings while we are on earth, precisely because we lack the Jews' dedication to God's words.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. We often emphasize that everyone should diligently follow God's words and look to our God when encountering situations. Remember, this is not a theory, nor is it an empty cliché; it is about specifically following the words in the Bible in our lives.
Many of God's words can be directly applied, such as in Proverbs. In fact, many of the things written in Proverbs do not require spiritual interpretation; you just need to understand what they mean and follow them. For example, the emphasis on trusting in the Lord with all your heart highlights the importance of focus. In this world, there are too many people who are indecisive. Many people, even when seeking God, only treat Him as one of their options.
If this does not work, they will try another place, because what they want is just the result they hope for. If Jesus does not give it to them, they may look for another god. This is not called trusting in the Lord with all your heart. Trusting in the Lord with all your heart means acting according to God's words, even if you do not see the desired results at the moment, you still persist in God's words. That is true trust.
The Israelites were like this. They did not worship other gods besides this God, even if this God did not bring them immediate blessings; they still held on. In the end, we truly see that God is not a liar; there is not one person who seeks Him with such dedication who does not find Him. No one who earnestly looks to God will be ashamed. Amen. Therefore, trusting in the Lord is the duty of believers.
Do you want to live this way? Do you want to replace the standards of your life with God's words? When you encounter situations, call upon God, act according to His words, and entrust the final results to Him, fully trusting Him at all times—this is true trust. Many people pray, and when God gives them another answer, they get angry and say, "I don't believe anymore because You did not fulfill my wishes." This is not trusting in the Lord; it is merely using God. We cannot live like this.
Trusting in the Lord means: Lord, I commit this matter into Your hands; You decide how I should act; I entrust the results to You, believing that the results You give me are the most correct and suitable for me. We walk through life step by step like this; this is trusting in the Lord.
Do not lean on your own understanding. "Leaning on your own understanding" in the original text means "leaning on your own comprehension." Why should we not rely on our own understanding? It does not mean we should abandon human reason and thoughts; that is incorrect. Many people, in order to show that "I am trusting in the Lord, I am relying on God in everything," ask God about everything: "You must give me an answer; if You don't give me an answer, I won't do it!" Every step feels like walking on thin ice, and every decision requires repeated verification, which makes a person timid and afraid to do anything.
So, dear family, not leaning on your own understanding does not mean we abandon our thoughts. It means that if we pray to God about a matter and God's words have principles regarding that matter, we can directly act upon them. Amen. For example, the Bible says not to associate with evil people. If someone is clearly going to commit murder or do evil, no matter how great the benefit may seem, you should not participate; that is the wise person.
You do not need to pray to God about this matter: "Lord, can I do this? Will it be dangerous?" This matter does not even require prayer because God has already given us the answer directly. We should not participate in such matters. This is not leaning on your own understanding. Amen.
It does not mean we should have no thoughts of our own; you can have your own thoughts. However, when God gives us a big framework or direction, we should move in that direction, whether walking, running, or using transportation to get there. In this part, we can rely on our own thoughts. Amen. Just do not focus all your attention on yourself. When encountering situations, do not think, "What should I do? My method does not work; I cannot do it; I will seek this person or that person." This is what it means to lean on your own understanding.
Because many times, God has already written the answers to problems in the Bible. This is the instruction manual; you can just follow it. Do not rely on your own understanding but choose according to God's will. That is enough. Amen. Because humans are not the ultimate truth; they do not know what is best.
Jeremiah 10:23: O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
The meaning of this verse is that a person cannot even determine their own path. For example, someone says, "I will go to a certain city tomorrow and stay there for a year to do business and profit." In fact, you do not know what will happen tomorrow; you do not know what your life will be like. We can only say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." This is what it means not to lean on your own understanding.
In this generation, many people rely on their own understanding, treating human opinions as truth and truth as merely human opinions. They take experts' hypotheses as evidence, and the wise person confidently believes that if most people believe something, it must be true. We cannot do this; we must live according to God's truth.
Verse 6: 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
To acknowledge means to firmly believe it is correct. Regardless of the current situation, believe that God's truth is right, and the Bible is infallible. Only then will you act according to His words. Why are there so many wise people? It is because they think what the Bible says is unreliable; their own understanding and abilities are superior.
When a person believes their decisions are correct, they will not take God's words seriously. If they acknowledge that they are weak and incapable, and they know and believe the Bible is absolute truth, they will take the time to read it and adhere to its words. When you are willing to believe in God this way, He will direct your paths.
Some may ask, "If we do not rely on Him, will He not direct our paths? Will He just watch us fall into a pit?" It is not that God does not direct; it is that people simply cannot take it in! Let me tell you a biblical story. There was a sorcerer named Balaam, who was very greedy for money. There was a very famous person named Balak, who felt that the Israelites were a threat when they were passing through his territory. If he could defeat them, that would be great. When he heard that whoever Balaam cursed would be cursed and whoever he blessed would be blessed, he offered Balaam a large sum of money to come and curse the Israelites. So Balak sent messengers to invite Balaam.
Balaam said, "Wait a moment, I will pray." When Balaam prayed, God told him, "You cannot go." It was very clear. After Balaam came out, he told the messengers, "I cannot go because God does not allow me." The messengers, upon hearing this, certainly would not believe it. This is the mindset of the world; they think the reason for not going is that the money is too little, the temptation is not enough, and the investment is not large enough. So they returned and reported this to Balak.
Balak thought, "Hmm, that analysis is correct." So the second time, he sent messengers with even more gifts and promises than before. At this point, Balaam really wanted to go; no one could stop him. But he pretended to say, "Wait a moment, I will pray again." In fact, he did not need to pray again. God had already told him the answer the first time; did he need to pray again? His purpose in praying was to hear a different answer.
Dear family, this is not what it means to acknowledge Him. Acknowledging God means that when God's words come out, they become a standard, and we take that as the standard. If we encounter similar situations, we should act according to this principle. There is no need to ask God again if it is okay; it is unnecessary. But why did God say to Balaam, "Go ahead"? Because Balaam's heart had already decided to go; his prayer was merely a formality.
Have you ever thought that many believers are like this? When they encounter a situation, there is actually a principle in the Bible that says they should not do it. But they ask one pastor, and that pastor says not to do it; then they ask another person, and that person also says not to do it; they ask yet another person, and that person tells them it is okay to do it. They finally find a reason to do it, and in the end, they fail and blame God: "Why did I follow Your words? Why did I follow the prophet's words, and yet I ended up with this result?" In fact, the Bible already had the answer; they knew it in their hearts. They kept seeking people just to find resonance. This is not what it means to acknowledge God.
So, dear family, in all your ways acknowledge Him, which means taking God's principles as the standard. Amen. You will know what to do. Hallelujah. Let me give you a real-life example to help you understand. For instance, during a certain period, all stocks are rising sharply. Someone asks me, "Can I enter the market at this moment?" This is a very interesting question. What is your purpose for entering the market at this moment? To get rich quickly. Indeed, this is certainly the reason people want to enter the stock market at this time.
But you must know that if something abnormal occurs, where everything is rising wildly, it will certainly fall rapidly. It is impossible for all stocks to keep rising. Someone might say, "I understand your reasoning; I just want to make a small profit and then exit immediately." But why does God not allow us to do such things? Because once human greed is opened, you will find it hard to exit. You might have exited yesterday, but today you see it is still rising; you might say, "Perhaps it will drop tomorrow," but tomorrow it continues to rise; you might say, "Perhaps the day after tomorrow it will drop," but it still rises; eventually, you cannot resist and enter again, and you do not know when you will end up with nothing.
So God does not give us such blessings; He does not want you to get rich overnight. Do you understand this now? If you can get rich quickly, do not enter, because wealth that comes quickly will also leave quickly, and you may lose even more. Of course, if you can take your profits and exit, that is fine, but you must control your inner greed; you must manage that yourself.
The truth we tell everyone is, In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct you on the right path. But if your heart has already made a decision, no one can change it, and God cannot help you or direct you. Look at the Israelites; in the later stages, they went the wrong way. When the prophets came to guide them, could they take it in? They found the prophets' words too uncomfortable, so they beat the prophets, and even said, "If you say any more, we will kill you." In the end, the conclusion was that God no longer spoke to the Israelites, letting them perish on their own. Did they fare well? No, history does not lie.
So, dear family, in all your ways acknowledge our God. When you acknowledge Him, you recognize Him as your Lord and guide; only then can you hear how His words lead you. Amen. Some people often ask me, "I don't know how to live out God's words." Start with listening to the word, believing in Him, and acknowledging Him, and you will know how to live. Amen. You say you do not listen to the word, do not read the Bible, and do not attend gatherings; how can you know where God's will is? Therefore, it is our choice whether or not to acknowledge Him. When you acknowledge Him in your heart, you will know where He leads you.
Proverbs 3:7-8:
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.
This is what we often refer to as great wisdom—being wise in one's own eyes. Such people gradually inflate themselves and eventually cannot hear anyone's words. As soon as someone disagrees with their viewpoint, they will immediately refute you. This is also why we always tell everyone not to argue with others. If a person clearly cannot take it in, arguing with them will only convince you; they will not listen to your words.
Dear family, many people initially acknowledge God in everything and rely on Him, but as time goes on and they achieve success, they gradually become more satisfied and arrogant about their achievements and abilities, shifting from relying on God's wisdom to being wise in their own eyes. Solomon is a good example. At first, he felt he had no ability or wisdom, so he asked God for wisdom to manage God's kingdom. Later, as he skillfully applied God's wisdom, he increasingly felt he was a wise person with great ability.
Gradually, he did something that took him further away from God. In the later stages, to consolidate his position, he did what other nations did, even thinking he was wise by marrying a thousand concubines and princesses. Marrying a princess in the past was actually to have a good future with that nation, so there would be no war, and no conflicts would arise because everyone would be family. He did not realize that his actions, which seemed clever, would lead to endless troubles. As a result, Solomon followed them to worship idols, rebelled against God, and the glorious kingdom ceased to exist by the time of his son.
1 Kings 11:1-4:
1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. 2 From the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.
Let’s see, such a wise person as Solomon ended up drifting further away from God. His downfall was not caused in a day; it was a gradual distancing from God. Did Solomon not know these things at first? He knew. First, he married Pharaoh's daughter, which was wrong. But when he married the first one and found no trouble, he became clever and thought there was no problem, so he began to love many foreign women. But did he know that this practice was problematic? Yes, he did.
2 From the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods."
Why did Solomon do this? He thought he was wise. He believed that the reason others failed was due to their lack of resistance and wisdom. Solomon thought his wisdom was absolutely sufficient, so he said, "I will not fall."
But God's words are very clear: You shall not intermarry with them. You should not marry their daughters because they will turn away your hearts after their gods. It is very clear; should this be done? No, it should not be done. Amen.
Some things should be avoided; do not say, "I am wise; I will not fall into it." Those who think this way generally will fall in. If you walk by the river often, how can you not get your shoes wet? What is the wisest method? Do not stroll by the river; why test fate on the edge of death? What happened to Solomon? He married a thousand concubines, and these women turned his heart, gradually leading Solomon's heart to lean towards these foreign gods. In the end, he built palaces for these concubines to worship their false gods. How terrifying!
Do you really think your ability surpasses Solomon's? Is your wisdom greater than Solomon's? When a person has wisdom, it is merely a matter of self-deception; it is very dangerous, and they will no longer hold onto God's words, inevitably walking the same path as Solomon. The outcome is clear for everyone to see, so we must take heed.
If a person fears the Lord and departs from evil, what will happen? The latter part says it will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. Everyone can understand the previous few sentences, teaching people to rely on God's wisdom and not their own.
But the last sentence seems inexplicable; what does it mean to heal your navel? Is there something wrong with a person's navel? Only when we look at the pictographs of ancient Hebrew can we understand what its original meaning is.
First, let's look at the navel. The pictograph of the navel in ancient Hebrew is a big mouth biting a head. The navel is like a mouth; it corresponds to the mouth. In the womb, the baby relies on the navel for nourishment. So what is the head that the navel's mouth is biting? It represents a person's spirit. Imagine the navel drawn as a big mouth biting a head; this is the meaning of the navel.
In reality, there are examples of big mouths biting heads. For instance, when a feline carries its cubs, it bites the back of their necks, and once lifted, they immediately revert to their fetal state, no longer moving around. Now you understand the navel.
The word "heal"? In ancient Hebrew, the pictograph translates to a running, astonishing bull. In simple terms, healing describes a person who is healthy, strong, and full of vitality. Ancient Hebrews believed that when the navel is like a vigorous, astonishing bull, that is called health.
If you combine these meanings, you can understand what the Bible is expressing. The original meaning of this sentence is that if you listen to God's wisdom and abandon your own cleverness, you will have a life as vigorous as a running bull in your navel.
The latter part is similar; it will nourish your bones. A person's body has two hundred and six bones, all of which need nourishment and lubrication; otherwise, various problems will arise. This also emphasizes that as long as a person fears God and departs from evil, their body will benefit, filled with health and strength.
After discussing health and longevity, we also need economic abundance, right? Otherwise, living a hard life with nothing is not the best either. God hopes that when we live on earth, we not only have healthy bodies and peaceful minds but also material abundance.
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase. 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
It seems that God has proposed a condition: you should honor the Lord with your possessions and the firstfruits of all your increase. When you do this, God will ensure you have abundance. However, this should not be understood this way; God is telling us how to continually enrich ourselves materially. You can also understand it as sowing.
For example, if you harvest wheat this year, you should leave some as seeds; that is the first thing you must do. Moreover, these seeds must be the best from all the wheat. If you save them, you can use them to sow next year, and you will continuously have more and more abundance. If you harvest this year and eat all the wheat without saving any, what will you plant?
We are talking about natural laws here. Some might say, "Can't I just buy it?" We cannot understand it using this principle. God's law is to allow you to become increasingly abundant based on these original things. In fact, a significant manifestation of devotion to God is the willingness to give. Can you fully trust God and rely on Him? Being willing to give can test a person's true nature because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Giving also reflects a person's true inner heart, whether they truly fear God and acknowledge that they are merely stewards of the finances given by God, willing to use them according to God's will, which can be seen through their giving. But everyone must remember, giving is not a transaction; it is honoring the Lord, acknowledging that your blessings come from God. Solomon did this very well, so did you see Solomon lacking money? No, his giving was very generous.
He established the largest sacrificial site in Israel's history, giving to God without holding back. Therefore, he received the most wealth among all kings. Because he was willing to trust God in this area, he also received abundant material blessings. Thank the Lord, God does not exchange wealth for people's offerings.
Everyone must understand clearly; it does not mean that if you give one dollar today, you expect to receive a hundredfold return from God. That is not the meaning; it is not a transaction. It is about whether you believe that all your blessings are given by God. When you believe this, when God gives you blessings, you first take out a tenth of it to offer to God, saying, "Lord, all I have is Your blessing, so I am willing to give a tenth of it to You, confirming that this is my faith in You." By doing this, you are honoring the Lord.
It is somewhat like this: when you buy food that your child likes, the child does not eat it first but takes out the best piece and says, "Mom, you eat first." Your heart is very joyful. In fact, it is not that you lack or particularly want to eat this food, but the child's intention shows you their heart, knowing this is your goodness to them. Thank the Lord. This is not forced; it is about whether a person is willing to do this. If a person is willing to do this, God knows that money will not bind them or enslave them, and He will give them more to manage.
Therefore, verse 10 says: So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
This refers to blessings being abundant in every aspect. The barns represent storage; they will be so full that they cannot be consumed or used up. The vats will overflow with new wine, bringing joy and abundance that cannot be fully enjoyed. Why? Because he believes that all his blessings come from God, and he recognizes God in all things, so he is not worried at all. If you want to have abundant blessings materially, you should learn from Solomon. May today's words bring you some help.
Let us pray together.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for giving us such Proverbs, allowing us not to forget Your laws and sincerely keep Your commandments. In this way, we are blessed on earth, and every day is a blessing. We are willing to recognize You in all things, believing that those who acknowledge You are blessed, and those who look to You will not be ashamed. We commit everything into Your hands; You lead us on the path ahead, for Your guidance is the most blessed path.
A new week has begun, and I believe this week will be a blessed week. I will take Your words as the standard and principle in my life, willing to act according to Your words. Please lead me in all things, letting me know how to act to honor our God. Thank and praise the Lord; all glory belongs to our Father in heaven. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.