Page 17 - The Prosperous Way _ (APRIL 2024 v3)

CHAPTER 1

TO TRAVEL A GOOD ROAD

T
he Scriptures contain very stern warnings about the love of money
and the futility of pursuing riches. Yet the Bible speaks equally of
prosperity as the Lord’s blessing to His people. As Christians, we
often battle with the dilemma of whether our desire for comfort and
abundance is a worldly desire “of the flesh,” or is simply the natural
outworking of faith in a loving God. Should we expect and embrace
wealth as God’s gift, or do we need instead to “crucify the flesh,” deny
ourselves and live sacrificially for others?

How then should we respond to today’s “prosperity theology”? Is there
any truth or merit to it or is it mere deception? How do we reconcile our
conflicting desires and doctrines? These are difficult questions that
require careful study of the Scriptures.

The obvious place to begin such a study is by defining the word
prosperity. We cannot start our journey toward prosperity until we
determine what our final destination will look like, and until we settle in
our minds that this is in fact a road that God intends for us to travel. We
must answer the fundamental question that lurks at the back of all our
minds: “Does God really want me to prosper? Does God really want me
rich?”

So then, what does ‘prosperity’ mean to the Christian? The word
prosperity is used in the Bible in different ways. Sometimes, prosperity in
the Bible has the obvious meaning of material abundance
(Deuteronomy 28:11). Other times it means a time of peace and safety
(Psalms 122:6; KJV). However, in both the New Testament and the Old
Testament, most often, prosperity simply means to be successful at what
you set out to do: To have good success in the work of your hands.

PROSPERITY–THE GOOD ROAD

In the New Testament, the Greek word used for prosperity is ’euodoo.’
It is a compound of two words, which separately mean:

a. well or good (eueuyoo), and
b. road, journey, travel, progress, etc. (hod-os)

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