Thoughts About Leadership: Who Owns Your Business? Really...

Proverbs 3:9 (MSG) Honor GOD with everything you own; give him the first and the best.

Joshua 24:14 (NAS) Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
Malachi 3:10 (AMP) Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Isaiah 29:13-14 (MSG) The Master said: "These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their hearts aren't in it. Because they act like they're worshiping me but don't mean it, I'm going to step in and shock them awake, astonish them, stand them on their ears. The wise ones who had it all figured out will be exposed as fools. The smart people who thought they knew everything will turn out to know nothing."

First and best belong to me, don't they? I worked hard for them. I'll give God ten percent. But first and best? Might this be what we sometimes think? Or at least, how we sometimes act. Honoring God with everything sounds good on Sunday. It becomes real on Monday.

This "honor" word is a word in the original where usage and context points to the meaning. The first four meanings seem to have little relationship with "honor" - be heavy, be grievous, be hard, be rich - but the usage is consistent that people of position, those "heavy" with wealth, the rich, the powerful, are, even today, accorded honor, respect, attention and even obedience. Look how Hollywood leads our young in what they wear, how they wear it, how the hair is cut of not, the pouty looks, the walk, what is ridden on or driven. Whole generations of young people speak and act a certain way because they honor entertainment stars. Stars come and go.

This verse points to the Eternal to honor. His wealth, power and strength will not fade.

The model for honoring people in positions and authority comes from the hand of God Himself: Ex 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Honoring God takes it to a new level because true honor FIRST comes from God - He promises to give honor to those you are obedient to Him and Jesus made that clear in John 12:26 "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." It seems to me that one cannot "honor God with everything" if one does not first acknowledge that everything comes from God - your customers, your inventory, your staff, your offices, your home, your finances, your family - everything comes from Him; therefore, because he is our Master and we are his stewards, his servants, it would follow that giving Him the best would be a small gift on our part. We had nothing to start. All we have comes from Him. Obeying Him with our life, using what he has given us for His Kingdom and acknowledging Him as the source of all is what a good steward would do.

Hypocrisy is talking this honor-God-attitude up and living for ourselves. Ouch. Israel was certainly guilty of this attitude over and over: honoring God with their lips, but by their actions making him appear meaningless or of no personal consequence. (See Isaiah 29:13)

Give Him first and the best. Ouch. That hurts! How are you doing with it?