This year, April is Easter month! Easter is the time we celebrate the Risen Savior. It is the time when we realize that God so loved you and me that He sent His Only Son to this world so that whoever would accept Him would have eternal life! What prosperity – God divesting Himself so we could be with Him for eternity!
Most would doubt it, but God wants you to have prosperity. There are a lot of ways to be prosperous that have nothing to do with money!
Most would not believe it, but the Bible has a lot to say about prosperity. One verse that is often quoted is: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” However, a closer reading of the original texts says, “How are you? Hope you are well!” God desires that we be blessed with total health over wealth.
The most important prosperity is spiritual prosperity. Material wealth without soul prosperity is hollow. I have learned that he who has what he needs is rich! Jesus told us to, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things would be added to us.” We are to put spiritual prosperity first and our needs will be met. Remember, God knows what we need better than we do – trust Him!
He who has faith in God is rich. Faith is better than money in the bank. When we know our future is secure and bountiful, how much richer can we get? When we are rich in our spirit, although we may lose everything else, that prosperity of soul remains. As strokes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s increasingly claims our loved ones, their faith remains strong and well. No tragic disease of any kind can rob individuals of their spiritual prosperity.
We can also be rich because of spiritual influence – either given or received. I am richer by being born into the home of Vernon and Lily McDonough. I am richer by being granted the blessing of attending Oral Roberts University and Southwestern University. I am richer by being married to Joane and having four kids and nine grandkids. I am richer by being invited to move to Port O’Connor to help build a Chapel.
Now I am rich because I am helping put back into lives what has been entrusted to me. I get to teach and preach and minister in various ways and to many audiences. I have the opportunity to mentor both young and seasoned pastors. I know that people make me rich. Relationships have shaped my life. I choose whether those relationships become bitter or beautiful and bring me to prosperity or poverty – I choose!
Some physical possessions make us wealthy in a deeper way than green-backs. We have “keepsakes” that evoke memories of people we love and experiences we cherish. Even when the keepsakes are gone, those memories remain. When I visit the elderly, the richness of their lives is often found in framed photos – reminders of what and whom they valued in life. I cherish my memories of family days past much more than any gifts my parents gave me. I did not always appreciate these experiences at the time, but I have lived long enough to realize how privileged I have been.
My toys and gifts received in my youth are long gone and forgotten. But I have a wealth of treasured memories of shared moments with godly parents and family members. Parents need to buck the peer pressure and focus on giving their kids gifts that will last – their time and shared experiences.
There is a richness in self-worth. I am not one of those who believe the chief purpose of mankind is to feel good about themselves, but I do believe it is important to know how valuable we are to God. That is what the plan of salvation teaches us!
Helping people know their value is the ministry of many organizations. The Harbor, for example, works for the restoration of women and children who have been used and abused in many ways. They attempt to help the person rebuild their whole being: body, mind, and spirit. Every person is important to the Lord and rebuilding lives makes one rich!
Paradoxically, self-worth can make one rich, but so can selflessness. “He who loses his life – for the sake of Christ and the Gospel – shall find it,” Jesus said. Giving your life to serve others can be one of the richest of all experiences.
We also become rich by giving materially. God’s law of the harvest is found in the words of Jesus: “Give, and it will be given to you – a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.” When we give, we know we will receive; we just do not know what the currency will be. We may reap things infinitely more valuable than we give.
In the 19th Century, Andrew Carnegie became the richest man in the world. He said, “The man who dies rich dies disgraced,” and in his lifetime gave away $350 million to efforts that helped others help themselves. Recently, 17 billionaires signed The Giving Pledge to give away significant portions of their fortunes to charity.
Giving should be a lifestyle, especially for Americans, because we have so much more than most of the rest of the people of this world. Those of us who have little financial resources can give in a currency of greater and longer-lasting value – like our time, concern, or practical help. Financially rich people can make a contribution far greater than their wealth would allow by sharing their love.
Many of us would not know how to handle being financially rich very well, but not all of us are called to do that. The key is that we need to be faithful stewards of what we have already been benefactors of. Perhaps when you first started reading this article, you felt poor. I trust that now we all realize how rich we truly are!
