The Bible is amazing and I never cease to be amazed at all the wonderful promises that God has for us. I was recently doing a study on God’s promises to prosper the work of our hands.
One of the things that stood out to me, that I think many Christians miss is that most of these verses about prospering are contingent on something. For example, in Psalm 1 it is says that we need to be doing things God’s way and staying in the Word and then what we put our hand to prospers.
It’s easy to say that we want God to prosper what we are doing, but I have noticed that most times in my life when things aren’t prospering like I want, it isn’t because God didn’t hold up His end of the bargain, but that I didn’t hold up mine. Usually after prayer and re-evaluation, I can quickly figure out what I was or wasn’t doing that was preventing things from prospering like I wanted.
Obeying God is for our benefit, not His
Personally, I think God views the small things as major things. I can’t even count how many times I had a little issue in my life, that I didn’t think was a big deal – but that apparently was to God. What makes it worse is when you see everyone around you doing it, and just like a 10-year old you think, “well everyone else is doing it – why can’t I?” And just like any good parent, the answer is, “because I told you so.”
What I am finally starting to realize is that it is all for our benefit! God doesn’t give us a bunch of rules just to make our lives challenging, He instructs us, not for His benefit, but for ours! When He says not to gossip, it is because He knows what it leads to – and how it ultimately makes our lives worse. When He says to give, its because He knows that the most fulfilling and joyful life is one of giving.
Now I am not suggesting that we should just serve God to see what we can get out of the deal, but it is nice to know that He is really is looking out for our benefit!
Here are a few scriptures I found about prospering in what you do…
Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV) – Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Genesis 39:3 (NASB) – Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and how the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.
1 Kings 2:3 (NIV) – and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.
Deuteronomy 12:7 (NASB) – “There also you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.
Deuteronomy 29:9 (NASB) – So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
Joshua 1:7 (NIV) – Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
I think the next verses sum the whole prospering thing up very well…
Deuteronomy 30:8-10 (NASB) “And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today. “Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
Related posts:
- Seek first the Kingdom of God and then…
- The Bible and Debt
- The Biblical Prosperity debate
- Learning how to be content
- Extravagant Giving
- 25 most famous bible verses
- God’s stimulus plan
- The pre-requisite for prosperity
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Great Post!
What a “coincidence,” I was just meditating on exactly this same subject. The Lord has really spoken to be through this post.
This promise is a great encouragement to me. I pray for His strength to enable me to hold up my end. Thank God for His Amazing Grace!
That’s right! God doesn’t need to give out his laws or decrees for his benefit. But, the benefit that he gets out of it is that he gets a bigger family (more children). The reason for his creation of human beings, he yearned to love children and have his children love him. He loves his children and he has to give out his desires for his children.
That was an awesome blog…keep it up!
Regards,
Miles_Boy
I agree with you that God has our best interest in mind, but I’m not quite sure I agree with your post. The term “prosper” has been so misused and abused by the likes of Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, the Crouches, Joyce Meyer and the like, that the term itself just makes me shake my head.
The entire “prosperity gospel” only works in America where most of us are affluent. What about our persecuted brothers and sisters in Sudan or China or Korea? They love God as much as we do yet most of their possessions and “prosperity” has been stripped of them precisely because they obey God!
All of those Scripture passages you quote refer to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament and were specifically meant for that body of people. Sure, they can generally apply to us today in 2009, but I think we are putting too much weight on them and taking them out of context.
Jesus did not promise us an easy and prosperous life here this side of heaven. I’m convinced this line of thinking only leads to disappointment. “If I am obeying God, then He will bless me with more and more.” What if you are following Him and your pension gets taken away or your 401k takes a dump? Are you under wrath and discipline?
Again, no ill will aimed at the writer. Just wanted to share my thoughts!
Metalman,
thanks for commenting – I will say I am frustrated that some people have focused more about what they can get out of God, rather than worshiping Him for who He is. But thhttp://www.christianpf.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php#comments-format doesn’t take away the fact that He is a good father who really does care about blessing us more than we want to bless ourselves. Whether or not people have abused the word “prosperity” doesn’t take away the fact that it is mentioned in scripture quite a bit (as well as many other related terms). I don’t believe that prosperity is limited to money, cause anyone with a little bit of intellect knows that there is more to life than money.
I also agree with you that the Christian walk is not one of ease – Jesus told us to take up our cross and often times obeying God can be painful and hard, but I have repeatedly seen God bless and “prosper” me in the midst of them.
I agree with you that God has our best interest in mind.
I am blessed with your message.Do send me more of your material.
Regards
Lewis