August 4, 2026

Business by the Book

Proverbs 3:9-10  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.

No book about business principles found in the Bible can be complete if it does not explore the inexorable tie between prosperity and honoring the Lord with not only offerings, but with all of one’s substance. Briefly consider each.

Honor the LORD with thy substance means to use all of your substance in a manner that is honorable before Almighty God. This alone would end most sinful dalliances individuals get caught up in. Every dollar, every ounce of life’s energy, every thought, every action, or in other words all of one’s substance should be used in an honorable manner. This alone would end waste, slothfulness, laziness, lust, and many other pitfalls that rob wealth.

Considering firstfruits, the entire Bible is filled with not only this commandment but also the promises associated keeping it. One such mention is found in Luke 6:38. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Trusting God with the firstfruits of an increase demonstrates trust in the Lord for all the increase.

There is no way to convince any business minded person who rejects the Scriptural teachings of these two graces of their merits in such a short devotion. It would be foolish to try. But for those who routinely practice these graces no convincing is needed. For we have exercised Psalm 34:8 and can attest to its truth. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

As a postscript to this devotion, something to think about today to challenge the scoffer: remember this simple truth, not all barns are on earth, some are in Heaven.

Dr. William Howe