The best way to reap honour in every area of your life is by honouring God. In our opening scripture today, we see how that God expressly makes it clear that He would honour those who do honour Him. That is an assurance that you can bank on! If you honour the LORD, He will honour you in return.
What difference does it make when what we offer to God is in the same category as what we give to men? What honour is there in giving to Him from our left overs or as a product of after-thought? Surely, the Lord has no pleasure in this.
Certain thought patterns predispose one to be blessed and empowered by God. Look at what our opening scripture says about Joash. He was minded to repair the house of the Lord. The same was the thinking of David who sought to put the Ark of the Covenant in a better place than his own palace (1Chron. 28:2). Surely, these men were trained to give honour to God by building Him a house.
As a young child, I always wondered how one grain of maize seed planted in the soil ends up becoming a full cob of maize. It works like magic, isn’t it? God honours the efforts of the farmer who spends time to till his soil and plant his seeds. In return, he gets several multiples of what he has sown.
Offerings give you access to God; an opportunity to make your request known unto Him. This is clearly seen from today’s scriptural text where Solomon offered to God a sacrifice and set Himself up for an encounter.
God loves covenant. Our opening text today highlights the principle of walking with God at a covenant level, which involves connecting oneself to Him by sacrifice.
The first fruit is an honour system that places God first. It involves giving God the first part of your income or a particular substance as a sign of honour.
The mindset of abundance and provision is a reflection of God’s will for His children. When we faithfully bring in our offerings, tithes, and dedicated things into the house of God, we participate in breaking the cycle of lack and ensuring that His house has more than enough for its work and use.
The blessing we receive is a precious gift from God, but it requires our attention to function in our lives. As believers, we all have the blessing, but it’s our responsibility to service it so that it can function effectively in our lives.
Our offerings are not just mere material gifts, they are a means of communication and connection with God. The Bible records that when Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings to God, He received a visitation from the Lord thereafter, showing us that our offerings and acts of worship can indeed speak for us before God.