About That Prosperity Message
Prosperity
isn't a be-all and end-all of Christianity. It's part of the total
package, because God wants you to be able to give when He asks you. He
told Abraham that He would use Abraham to bless others - and that
Abraham would be blessed in the process.
It's a by-product of
faithfulness, folks.
"Give away your life; you'll find life given back,
but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving,
not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." (Luke 6:38, The
Message)
Or, if you prefer the King James translation: "Give, and it shall be
given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and
running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure
that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
3 comments:
And it works! Good post.
also to go along with this:
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
I do believe Christ's words teach us the best way to live. I believe all things being equal, following His way in our dealings with others will improve our earthly lives, and those with whom we interact.
I also believe His call comes with no guarantee of plenty in this world. Perhaps in fact, the reverse.
... as befits the followers of Christ, who forewent earthly dominion to die on the cross for mankind.
Matt - indeed.
Jenny - on this point, I respectfully disagree. The Bible DOES guarantee that we will be made more prosperous than we otherwise would, IF we all Him to dictate our giving.
2 Cor. 8:9 says, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." The last word rich is translated (from the Greek) as "increased in material goods".
Again, it's not supposed to be a goal. "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10) God causes it to happen along the way if we keep our eyes on Him, NOT because we want to be rich.
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