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Dedicated, Prosperous But Fallen - Part 2 - Prosperous

by Jerry Ousley  
6/28/2013 / Christian Living


Prosperity by today's definition seems to always be linked to money. If one is considered prosperous then we can bet that they've got piles of it stashed away somewhere. I'm probably not considered prosperous by most people in this world. But I think that God has prospered me quite well. He has blessed us with a good house in which to live. It keeps us dry from the rain, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I've got a wonderful wife who can cook like a gourmet chef, at least to me. We've got two vehicles to drive. Granted they are both older models and my little Neon is only a few miles away from two hundred and thirty-six thousand, but she runs like a top and I'm satisfied. The Lord allows me time to write, which I love with a deep passion, and that is a great blessing. I have food to eat - which is a relief for a fat man. Most of all I have a loving, forgiving God whom I care for deeply and I know he cares for me.

Now we don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank or stuffed in a mattress somewhere, but I'd say these other things make me prosperous. People may not think so. They have much finer and larger homes, eat like kings and drive new and expensive automobiles. But folks, I wouldn't trade places with them for anything because I love the life God has given me.

Solomon became a very prosperous man too. God had come to him and offered him anything he wanted after he was formally inaugurated as king of Israel. He had unselfishly asked for wisdom to lead the people. This so pleased the Lord that he not only granted him wisdom, but great riches as well. The Bible lists many of those riches in 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles. But I believe that his greater prosperity came in other things. In fact, if you read the book of Ecclesiastes (which Solomon wrote) you'll find that during his life his quest for happiness took him down many roads. But in the end he concluded that the total sum of life wasn't in riches, pleasures, or things, but in being obedient and having a loving relationship with God the Father.

King Solomon became prosperous because his heart was turned toward God. He wanted to serve him. Because of that, as a by-product of his dedication to God, he became wealthy and prosperous.

Christians talk a lot about prosperity today. Many ministers, particularly on radio, television, and in print, teach prosperity. I believe some of these men and women are true to their beliefs. But there are others who always have their hand stuck out claiming that if you will just send them your hard-earned cash that God will greatly bless you in return. Some teach that if you give ten dollars that God will give you one hundred dollars. While the Bible does indicate that God will give you ten-fold (ten times) what you give, it doesn't always come in money. If you aren't careful you find yourself almost gambling and betting your roll on God.

The fact is that when we dedicate our lives to God and we are whole-heartedly sincere in our devotion to him that he will prosperous us. But God knows what we need more than we do. We may think that a million dollars right now would come in pretty handy (and don't get me wrong; if God wants to give me a million dollars I'm not going to refuse it), but he knows what might happen to us if we were suddenly rich with dollars. Some have gone off the deep end and wound up more troubled because of great sums of money. Our prosperity is not in money but in our relationship with God. He has promised to meet our needs. He will make sure that we have food to eat, water to drink and clothes on our backs. But we serve a God who also wants to give us gifts.

My wife Debbie has a heart to give to others. When she goes to the grocery store she always buys things that she knows she will give to someone else. She has a heart that wants to bless others. She doesn't have to do that. But when she sees someone who is trying with everything in them, then as a by-product of their effort she will bless them with something.

That's how God is. We give our all to him. We determine that whatever comes we will serve the Lord. We make a choice that nothing even a threat on our lives will keep us from serving God and loving him with everything in us, and folks, God will do the rest. He has reserves that no bank can match. He will prosper us with wealth that goes beyond a dollar amount. He does it because he wants to. He doesn't have to, but he wants to. Tie a knot and hold on to your relationship with the Lord, and he will prosper you. Just wait and see.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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