"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.
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."
Proverbs 3:9-12
The idea of honoring the Lord with our substance is interesting. It reminds me of Jacob 2:18-19: "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. / And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good...." Substance isn't something to seek or place before God, but what we have we should use in his service, to honor him and to build up his kingdom. The idea of sacrificing for the Lord still has merit, although of course it isn't animal sacrifice anymore, but rather as Christ taught us, it is the sacrifice of our selfish desires and a dedication to building a righteous community as part of God's kingdom on earth.
The part about the chastening of the Lord also stands out to me, because I think we get love really wrong sometimes and think that if someone loves us that they are supposed to accept our behavior no matter how bad it is... that somehow that is what love is, unconditional acceptance. Instead though, God teaches us that unconditional love means encouraging us to change and be better... loving at all times, but not accepting or condoning bad behavior or refraining from calling us on it. God loves us enough that he is invested enough to help us achieve our greatest potential. He loves us enough to find us when we are lost, even if we chose to be lost, and to get us moving again, helping us to know where home is and how to get there. He still isn't going to force us to something better, but he loves us enough to correct us and encourage and empower us to better things.
Today, let's use our lives and our substance to honor the Lord, and bless his name for his correction so that we don't waste away in the hell of staying as we are forever, but are granted the chance to become so much more.
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