When we
believe we can earn what the LORD gives and that somehow now, we deserve it; that
eliminates grace. When we think we should live in squalor as payment for our
sins and suffer to make us worthy enough of Him; that also eliminates grace.
Earthly squabbles
over the message of God’s will for us to prosper and be well is amped up in my
Facebook world. It’s like my siblings fighting and I’m the youngest thinking, “But
Dad really does love us and wants to take care of us.” I’m hearing arguments
about my brothers and sisters in the family of God that are Bible teachers
professing such things as God’s blessings and prosperity. I don’t understand why Christians are giving
verbal persecution of brothers and sisters in Christ for saying that God desires
us blessed? Or why they seem to think we can only really worship God if we have
some lashes on our own back and live in lack? Wouldn't that be an abusive Dad?
God’s will
is not that, but the world will persecute us.
There is a difference. God isn’t the one with the whip unless it’s at
the ones in the Church misrepresenting His grace and goodness and keeping them
from coming to Him in the fullness of His love and by what He GIVES and who He
is. It’s what Luther promoted. He was anti–penance and pro- grace.
The money
changers were making the people exchange their money offering to the “old money”
or currency from the past. Not only were they making people exchange it to the
old way, but they were trying to profit from it themselves by making
worshippers lose some of what they have and pay for what is old. Jesus made a whip out of cords and drove out those
who were making it harder to worship and robbing from what the people had. He chased off the sacrificial animals they were selling, too.
He said it was to be a house of prayer, not a business. They were taking and
trying to profit from what is freely given, what is theirs to do in relationship
with Him without payment and receive His presence. Free. Because of Him.
Because of God’s Grace and Love. Matthew 21:12 and John 2:14.
.Jesus had
come.
The heart of God and
His giving is at the very beginning.
The big one: Genesis
1:27 He made us in His image.
28 “God blessed them and said to
them, “Be fruitful and
increase in number; fill the earth
and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over
every living creature that moves on the ground.
29 Then God
said, “I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the
whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours
for food. –Notice how it is from the trees and fruit that bore fruit and
would produce more by its seeds. It is the blessing of more and of life.
31 God saw
all that He made and it was very good.
Chapter 2
speaks of the streams that came up from the earth and watered it. It is like
the living waters of grace out of the rock. It lists the first river in verse
11 that winds through the garden as Pishon.
Some interpretations of the meaning of Pishon is to spring up and disperse. It goes on to say the river winds through the land of Havilah where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.)
God placed
man in an incredible place of blessing, provision and it was “very
good.” It was about blessing, fruitfulness, increase, power to subdue
and rule (not each other, but the animals), food provision all over the earth
and good gold. It was given.
Our hope for
glory is what He is going to provide in His presence. Why do people believe others
should not teach that He desires us to flourish, grow and be blessed? He says
in the world we will have tribulation, but take heart, because He has overcome
the world. It is in the world we live
that gives suffering, persecution and drives us to carry our own cross because
we won’t deny the Father.
It is to the
magnitude that Jesus left the splendor to be one with us to the lowest of this
earth. Humble and serving to come into the difficult and painful place of our
sin infested world here to provide for us a way out while we are here. He came
as a way to have His joy in all circumstances, His presence, and to understand His love to bless us
in whatever ways He will. Did He not
provide a coin to pay taxes in a fish’s mouth? Did He not provide more than
enough food? Did He not heal, drive away
demons, and raise people from the dead here on earth?
He brought
the Kingdom to us. He paid the penance of sin so we didn’t have to. Why are Christians verbally beating people
for believing in His goodness? For believing in the different ways that He
blesses and gave His gift of grace? Did the LORD not multiply and double all the
wealth that Job had following the suffering that Satan was permitted to bring
upon him? Did He not give the Hebrews the wealth and plunder from Egypt when He
delivered them out of bondage?
We can’t
think that allowing Satan to have his way with us in lack, poverty and illness
brings glory to God. What brings Him glory is loving God and blessing Him no matter
what the world tries to put on us. Because
greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. Let’s not heap with
Satan accusations on believers of Jesus; that they are ungodly for believing in
various ways of God’s prosperity when the Word of God begins with prosperity.
God’s objection to wealth is when we become
dependent on it instead of Him, hoard it or we do unholy things to obtain it. Making
wealth a greater love and keeping it instead of following God is lack; as Jesus
told the rich man that the one thing he was lacking and what needed to be done
for him to be a true follower of His was to let it go and give it to the poor and
then he will have treasure in
heaven. Mark 10:21. Jesus saw what needed to be corrected in his heart.
Jesus also looked at him with love. But, the actions to correct it made the man
sad because he loved his riches more.
The promise
of prosperity comes to every believer as Jesus said to the thief next to Him on
the cross, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43
“So when the
devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and
hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it?
For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is
Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!”
~ Martin
Luther
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