Let me explain one struggle I had regarding putting God first in my finances. While I was a student at Bible College, I attended a class on the subject of “Giving and Receiving.” The teacher, Rev. Keith Moore, instructed us to read the Old Testament minor prophet Haggai five times. As I read this book, I could not grasp the importance of the theme. Approximately twenty readings later, I still didn’t understand.
I struggled with the material like a child frustrated with long division. I just could not comprehend the concepts presented in that book of the Bible. And although I acknowledged the truths mentally, I did not believe them enough to put them into action in my life. Finally, about four years later, the Lord helped me understand through some other material by Rev. Moore that the theme of the book of Haggai is “putting the Lord’s house first.” In Haggai, the Lord asks a question through the prophet: “Is it time for you to build your house and make life comfortable for yourself, but yet my house lies in waste?” (Hag. 1:4). Of course, you know the appropriate response is “No!” The book of Haggai can be summed up with one scripture: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).
The Lord wants His house to be first. His Kingdom plan should be first. He wants His ministries and ministers to come first. He wants His projects to come first, such as feeding the poor and visiting those in hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons. At the time I was attending that “Giving and Receiving” class and reading the book of Haggai over and over again, I wasn’t putting the Lord’s interests first. Instead of laboring to help the work of God and the business of God first, I was most interested in paying my rent, my tuition, my car and insurance payments, and all my other bills. But later I learned from Scripture that believers should put the work of God before their own rent, utilities, and bills. For example, the Bible says in Ephesians 4:28, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands for what is good, that he may have to give to him who has need.” Until I learned this, I thought, I have to work to pay my bills and all my other expenses. All day, every day, I had the mentality that paying off bills is the purpose of work. But I discovered by the grace of God that I had been thinking and believing wrong! We need to work and we need to pay our bills.
However, our employment is an opportunity to minister, to serve, love others, befriend others, and eventually invite them to church. Not only that but our job is one place we grow and mature in areas like character, faithfulness, and the fruit of the spirit.
Learn To Be a ‘Distribution Center’. Now I realize that I am a distribution center, working so I will have the ability to “share” or to distribute a supply to ministries and those in need. A distribution center has items coming in and going out all the time. Paul said to the Philippian church:
PHILIPPIANS 4:15 - Now you Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church SHARED with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
One meaning of the Greek word “koy-no-nos,” translated as “share” in the New King James Version, means to distribute.6 “Share,” according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, means to share with others; distribution, partner.7 So then, one meaning of share is to participate in both giving and receiving the way a partner does in a business deal. When we participate with God by receiving His blessings and giving to others, we are communicating or distributing as partakers and partners in the work of His Kingdom. This brings more light to Hebrews 13:16: “But to do good and to share [participate, distribute] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
The bottom line is that believers should go to work in order to be distribution centers.
1 TIMOTHY 6:17,18 - Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy;
18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, READY TO DISTRIBUTE, WILLING TO SHARE.
The Lord spoke to me in my spirit once, asking me this question: “How big of a distribution center do you want to be?” I replied, “A big one, Lord!” The Lord said, “It is up to you. You can be as a small shelf or a 60,000-square-foot warehouse. It all depends on how much you are willing to distribute in order to be a blessing to others.”
So we see that the first and most important principle of increase is putting the Lord first. God wants us to prosper financially! But our prosperity depends on putting first things first. God wants to be first in our lives. He wants to be before our children, our spouse, our car, or our house. He even wants to be before our ministry or our job.
Achan committed idolatry by putting himself first. But we can flee idolatry by honoring God with our tithe, the first and the best ten percent of all our increase. If we have integrity we have to acknowledge according to Haggai 1:5-7, Proverbs 3:9, and Matthew 6:33, blessings are added to us as we obey God by honoring Him with the first portion. When we put the Lord and His works first, when we labor for the needs of others rather than for personal gain and material possessions, we avoid putting “holes in our pockets.” That’s when God can load us daily with His benefits (Ps. 68:19)!
Now, it’s important to understand that God is not a respecter of persons; He loves all people the same. He doesn’t love any one person better than another. His statutes are for all people, everywhere. So if this avenue of putting God first leads one person to improving God’s way, it will do the same for every person who walks down its path. And that includes you!
6W. E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985), 177.
7James H. Strong, “Greek Dictionary of the New Testament,” The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), 42.
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