Prosperity

To some this may be a very sticky subject. I must admit that I don’t teach or preach a whole lot on the prosperity. Yeah, a Word preacher that doesn’t preach prosperity? I didn’t say that I don’t teach it, I said I don’t spend a lot of time on the subject. I’m writing this as a reminder to all of us, as to why, God wants us to prosper.
The truth is, God does want us, His people, to prosper. There are over 1,000 scriptures on the subject of money and prosperity in the Bible. Don’t worry, I’m not going to go through every one of them.
First, understand that prosperity or to prosper does not exclusively mean finances. Prosperity is for every area of your life. Not just your bank account or have more stuff, but to have a good life. Jesus came to give us life to the full till it overflows. Why overflow? Not just so we can accumulate more stuff than our neighbors. The overflow is like a glass that when you pour water into it, up to the rim, it is full. God through His Holy Spirit continues pour into us that water of life until it spills over and gets everything and everyone around us wet.
From the very beginning God wanted us to prosper. The Lord said to Adam and Eve, be blessed, go and multiply, fill up the earth and replenish it. He, God, was not just talking about having a bunch of babies. He was talking about all of creation being blessed through man. Did you find that scripture where God said to Adam, build me altars and temples and worship me? No, of course not! God never intended for that to happen. God wanted relationship, not religion.
If we continue through the Bible, we can see God wanting people to prosper. Noah and his sons were told the same thing Adam was told. Then Abram / Abraham prospered as he followed the Lord, and was blessed through the high priest Melchizedek. Moses and the people of Israel prospered and were in good health when they left Egypt. They took as much gold and silver and clothes that belonged to the Egyptians as they could carry. Not one was sick or weak or lacked anything. That is prosperity! All the way through the Old Testament you can see God wanting to bless and prosper His people.
In the New Testament it is no different. Let’s get this straight, Jesus was not poor. Nowhere does it say that He was. I know some religious folks are squirming right now. When Jesus said that the Son of Man had no place to rest His head, He was talking about being part of this world, not being homeless and weak. If being righteous, and He was and is righteousness, was being poor then why did Jesus say some of these things?… Give and it shall be given to you pressed down shaken together… seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you… no one has given up homes and friends and family and property for the Gospel without receiving in this life homes and friends and family and property 100 times more, in this life along with persecution. People don’t like to see believers prosper. I have paraphrased of course, but you get the idea.
Paul made it clear several times in writing to the churches that because of their giving and support of his ministry, that God would see to it that they would be prosperous.
Why? What’s the point? God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, wants you and I have much, more than enough to just “get by.” He wants us to have so much that we can give to those in need, not out sacrifice, but out of love. He wants us to support the preaching of the Gospel. He wants us to be a testimony of His faithfulness to His word, His promises and His covenant.
Go back and read your Bible. Look at all the times the Lord prospered people when it didn’t look like it was possible. It was to show the God is God and no other reason.
Be blessed, go and multiply, prosper in all that you put your hands to do and tell someone how good your God is!