There is a "gospel" proclaimed from many pulpits that says, "God wants you to be healthy and wealthy! Claim your inheritance." Preachers of the "prosperity gospel" teach that if a person believes enough, that is, 'speaks the word of faith,' lives a good life, and (don't forget this) sends in their generous offering- the inevitable result will be an enviable life filled with the riches of this world. This 'health and wealth' line is a basic ingredient in many television preachers' sermons. Why? Because it appeals to so many of us and builds huge audiences of people who want to tap into the flow of Divine blessings. Promising people that you will show them the road to riches will always draw a crowd. Many of these preachers of prosperity model their message by living the high life - dressing in high fashion, driving luxury cars, and building themselves huge houses.
My reaction to this abuse of the Word of God has led me too often away from teaching that God really does love to bless His children!
Jesus says: "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:9-11, NIV) I love to give to my children. If it is within my ability to provide something for them that they need or want, I love to do it. However, when they growing up, I never gave them all they asked for, even those things I could afford. Why? Because some of the things they wanted were not good for them. Sometimes I knew that in order to better serve God they needed to develop a different set of values so I would not give them the latest trinket to feed their greed. Other times I considered that they would be better served by working to own the things they wanted. Though they could not understand it, I was often more loving in saying, "No," to a request than in saying, "Yes!" But overall, I delighted in providing the best in life for them. It was a way to demonstrate my love to them.
Our Heavenly Father loves to bless us. That much the prosperity preachers get right! Where they err is in ignoring that God is the Ultimate Good Father, that He remains the One in charge, that He is never obligated by our prayers or good works to give us anything. He sees what is the very best thing in life for us, from the perspective of eternity, and provides all that we need, but not all that we want.
Know this, too. The Bible consistently shows us that a godly person tends to prosper. What are leading causes of poverty? Sloth, greed, drunkenness, and family disintegration. Are any of those things consistent with a godly life? No.
God teaches us to be disciplined and to apply ourselves to our work. A greedy person is never content with what he has and thus does foolish things that lead him into greater debt. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10, NKJV)
Drunkenness (and its cousin, drug abuse) are specifically pointed out as a way to destruction. "Don’t destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life." (Ephesians 5:18, CEV)
A strong family unit is a key to wealth building for many reasons too numerous to explore here in depth. Among them are stability, security, and investment of a previous generation's wealth in the next, which gives a head start.
Don't read the paragraph above and jump to an erroneous conclusion that judges those who are suffering or not prosperous as having created their own misery. It may well be true that they have, but there are plenty of Biblical examples that show us that God allows suffering even in the lives of the godly and that our lives are effected by the sinful world that we live in. So we must be very careful in judging another and always extend ourselves to share with those in need, never assuming that we are superior to those who suffer.
Yes, friend our Father's gifts are numerous. He does love to bless us. He invites us to bring all of our needs to Him - with faith - and to ask for His provision. We must not let the ways that some mis-use these facts to rob us of the wonderful truth that we are beloved sons and daughters of God.
Meditate on this passage of promise today.
"How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways!
You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!
Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.
That is the Lord’s blessing for those who fear him.
May the Lord continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live. May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. May Israel have peace!" (Psalm 128, NLT) Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment