Proverbs 3:9

Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce.

Substance

Substance is a great word. It sounds like what it is. People with substance have a foundation they build from that learns and grows, but doesn’t fall over no matter how hard the wind blows. Substance comes from the bottom up, the center out, and substance really does yield fruit as it is manifest in our lives.

Honoring the Lord with your substance sounds to me like we have recognized that place in us that seeks God, and is satisfied when we dwell there deeply. We can let our souls be filled up with the love God first plants in us, and be open to the call we feel in us to honor that love. That kind of honoring bears fruit in our actions, in our living, in the gifts we make to do God’s work in the world.

Prayer: Dear God help me to recognize the substance of who you are in my life, and honor that relationship with all that I am. Amen

Reflection Questions:

1. Here we are – are we ready to say yes to God’s love in our lives?
2. This is the day that Lord has made. What foundation will we stand on in it?
3. What is the substance your life is made of?