Some of us humans have this whole prosperity thing screwed up. When the word prosperity is brought up in a church setting right away everyone screams heathen. Everyone points their fingers and condemns the pastor or speaker without hearing the full message. Sometimes we in our own greedy attitude focus on the belief that they have to be talking about money. After all that is what prosperity means, right?
Well by today's standards, yes. But by the standards God taught us, no. God wants us to succeed in His purpose for us. God wants us to be successful at reaching the lost and broken. God wants us to increase in our wisdom and peace. I looked up prosper in the 1828 Websters dictionary and this is the definition I found:
To grow or increase; to thrive; to make gain; as, to prosper in business. Our agriculture, commerce and manufactures now prosper
To favor; to render successful. To be successful; to succeed.
Yes, our standards have changed along with our definitions. Today's definition has everything to do with fame and fortune. It's all about money by today's definition, but not if we carefully consider what God was talking about, To me and from my simple mind, when God talks about us prospering and from what I have listened to from many preachers and teachers, is that God wants to bless us for our obedience to Him. God wants to prosper us, bless us and give us His favor. Not because of who we are and what we done, but because we obey Him and believe in the one whom He sent, Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 29:9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
The favor, the blessings, the prosperity is not monetary, but I will tell you that God has prospered me in ways I never imagined possible. I have done my best to obey Him, but I fail miserably. The thing about God is He sees my heart. Although I fail and deserve to be burnt in hell, God sees my heart. He knows I try and try and try to do my best to obey Him. God knows I believe in Jesus Christ and that I have accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. Because of those facts alone, God has prospered me.
Blasphemer!! Is that what some of you were thinking? I hope not because God has blessed me and He has poured out His favor upon me. Okay let me clarify something here, I am not talking about money!!! I am talking about a peace that surpasses all understanding. I am talking about my health, which no amount of money can buy. I am talking about the love of a man who has owned my heart (after Jesus) for over 36 years. I am talking about my children and grandchildren that bring me so much joy and happiness. That's right I am prosperous!!! God has prospered me!!! God has favored me!!! And for those simple facts I fall on my knees every single night and thank God for all He has blessed me with.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
Is the prosperity Gospel wrong? I'm not a scholar and I'm not God so I will not judge. But I do know this, when Jesus came down to earth as a human being, He brought to us, compassion, love and acceptance. He never got in any sinner's face and yelled that they were going to hell if they didn't believe in Him. He never yelled "Blasphemer!!" or "Hypocrite!!!" to anyone except the Pharisees and Sadducee's.
So before we assume anything from any preacher or teacher, we need to look at ourselves and our own hearts before we start pointing fingers. At least that is my opinion!! That is what God has spoke to my heart this past weekend. Any message from any pastor, preacher or teacher can be taken out of context and we are all guilty of making assumptions and finger pointing so let's just be like Jesus and look at the heart!
Heavenly Father help us to stop pointing fingers and start loving the hearts of people who are trying to do your will. Help us to focus on the truth of your word and help us to remove the plank in our own eye before we point out the splinter in other's eyes, in Jesus name amen!!
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