THE
OTHER SIDE OF PROSPERITY
Memorise:
Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me
with food convenient for me: proverbs 30:8
Read:
2nd Chronicles 18:1-3, Bible in one year: 1st Kings 9-10,
Luke 3:7-22
Prosperity is good, and it is far better
than poverty. As a matter of fact, God wants His children to prosper (3rd
John 2). However, we cannot wave off the words of Agur’s prophesy in today’s
memory verse. One may wonder why he would make this strange utterance. The
answer lies in Proverbs 30:9
“Lest
I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and
steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”
The first part of his reason for this
statement is what I consider to be the other side of prosperity. When you
become so prosperous that you forget the God who prospered you in the first
place, you are in very serious trouble. My prayer for you is that the
prosperity that will make you forsake God will not come your way in Jesus’
Name.
In our Bible reading, we see how God
prospered King Jehoshaphat with abundant riches; but after he experienced
prosperity, he made a military alliance with the wicked King Ahab. He would
have lost his life through this evil association with Ahab, but for the mercy
of God (2nd Chronicles 18:31). You must be very careful of the
people you associate with as you climb the ladder of prosperity (Proverbs 19:4).
Some people suddenly become clubbers after they start commanding wealth. They
now enjoy the world of vanities, and no longer value time for fellowship with
the brethren. The story of King David in 2nd Samuel 11:1-2 is an
example of what prosperity can do to a one-time valiant warrior. David had no
time for extra-marital affairs when he was running for his dear life from cave
to cave. But after the crown came, at a time he was supposed to lead Israel to
battle as he used to do, he was busy enjoying a sinful holiday.
Should we then conclude that prosperity
is evil? Not at all; all we need to do is to fellow the pattern of prosperity
management used by the fathers of faith like Abraham. No matter how wealthy you
become, keep standing out as a lover of God who trembles at His commandments.
Your wealth has a purpose, which is to serve the interest of God and His
Kingdom through the machinery of the Church. You cannot imagine that God will
bless someone with a car, when the motive is to use it for seducing innocent
girls to defile them. This is the reason why some children of God are yet to
receive their promised prosperity: God knows they cannot handle it yet.
Prayer
Point
Father,
grant me the wisdom and the spiritual maturity to handle wealth.
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