The Prosperity Gospel

I hope the title Prosperity Gospel intrigues you, yet the content of this post may be slightly different than you thought. 

My wife & I have always been really blessed, even with material possessions (many of which were gifts by gracious people). There is no getting around it...we have a nice home, nice vehicles (if you consider an '89 Grand Wagoneer nice--I do!), nice furniture & things (my favorites are the pictures in our home), nice clothes, etc. For years we have almost felt guilty for having such nice things. Yet, I have come to a few conclusions: 

• God blesses us so that we may be a blessing to others. "Let love be without hypocrisy...give preference to one another in honor....contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality" (Romans 12:9-13). 
• It is a never ending battle to want & desire more stuff, the discipline of contentment is to be pleased with what you have. I recently heard a man from India who stated (my paraphrase), "I wish your missionaries from America would quit bringing over more stuff, thinking that what we need are more things. It is much different over here, our happiness is not based upon having more things." 
• I disagree with most of the "health & wealth gospel." As Paul David Tripp stated, "Those prayers for prosperity have one fatal flaw in them. They are prayers for prosperity for the purpose of the delight of the person praying the prayer" (55).
• We should be praying for prosperity so that God's kingdom purposes may be advanced on earth: 

"Give wisdom to a man who is living for God's kingdom & he'll use that wisdom to advance God's kingdom. Give money to a man who loves God's kingdom & he'll look for ways to invest that money in kingdom causes. Give a house to a person who seeks God's kingdom and his house will be a place of hospitality, love, and ministry" (Tripp, 56).  

• Use your prosperity for God's glory; if you have been saved, you are different now. Be blessed not for the sake of your kingdom, but the furtherance of His. Tripp said, "When God prospers people who are living for him, they use that blessing to serve him all the more, and for this he gets glory and in this he finds great delight" (56). 
• I should take inventory of what I really need & then get rid of the rest by giving it to people who need it. 
• Remind myself that all things are from God so that I do not hold too tightly to any of my possessions. God may very well want to use me as an instrument to bless others. In fact, I know this is true.

So there you have it...just a few thoughts that I hope would be beneficial for your consideration. Have a great day!

Stay hungry, seek to learn & grow!