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Disciplines of a True Disciple - Wealth

Proverbs 3:9-10 – ““Honor the Lord with your capital and sufficiency [from righteous labors] and with the firstfruits of all your income; 10So shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine.” (AMP)

            The believer who grows in maturity will put God first in his/her finances.  The Bible promises God will open the windows of heaven over those who are faithful to give tithe and offerings (Malachi 3:9-10).  Billy Graham said, “If a man gets his attitude toward money straight, it will straighten out almost every other area of his life.”

            God must be first in every area of our lives.  Jesus instructed us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).  Money can be a touchy subject in church. In our society ministers are accused of preaching on money for personal gain.  So many avoid the subject.  This is detrimental to the believer.

            The Bible has a great deal to say about finances.  Money is a tool God puts into our hands to accomplish His purposes in the earth. One out of every six verses in the Gospels deals with stewardship.  Sixteen out of thirty-eight parables of our Lord deal with money.  More is said about stewardship in the Bible than about heaven, hell, or prayer.  There are five-hundred plus verses on both prayer and faith, but over two thousand verses dealing with money and possessions.

            Giving is an act of worship.  We honor the Lord when we give a firstfruit offering.  Dr. Frank Damazio gives the following reasons we are to give our tithe and offerings as an act of worship to the Lord:

  • “Giving activates divine law that releases the work of God in our private world.”
  • The tithe is an acknowledgement that all we have belongs to the Lord.
  • The tithe is the sacred portion that we set aside as the Lord’s.  It is holy.
  • The tithe is to be given as an act of spiritual obedience.
  • Tithing is a token of consecration that one has surrendered all and made Him Lord.
  • The tithe is the acknowledgement of ownership that God is owner of all and I am only a steward or trustee over my human estate.[1]


Jesus addresses our attitudes concerning our financial life in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” One of the most important disciplines to develop as a true disciple is to make Jesus Lord over your finances.


[1] Damazio, Frank, A Powerful Proven Principle, City Bible Church, Portland, OR, 2011.

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