Page 25 - The Prosperous Way _ (APRIL 2024 v3)

DOES GOD REALLY WANT US TO BE RICH?

An example of this kind of wealth is found in the story told in Genesis
33 when Jacob was reunited with his brother, Esau, after many years.
Jacob had cheated and stolen from Esau in his youth and because of
this, Esau planned to kill him. So, Jacob had run away to a distant relative
for protection (Genesis 27:1-28). Jacob was now returning to his own
country and was anxious to placate his brother when they met again
for the first time. Jacob sent Esau hundreds of livestock ahead of his
arrival as a peace offering, saying, “Please accept the present that was
brought to you, for God has been gracious to me AND I HAVE
ENOUGH .” God’s grace had “abounded” to Jacob so that he had
“sufficiency in all things” (Genesis 33:11). Not only did he have “enough”
for himself, but he could also abound in giving to others.

For the Christian then, wealth is not given simply to satisfy our own
desires. Material abundance is meant to give the Christian OVERFLOW;
the means by which to meet the needs of others. This is why 2
Corinthians 9:11 tells us that “You will be made rich in every way so that
you can be generous on all occasions.” And to quote the above
Scripture from 2 Corinthians 9:8 again, but with a different emphasis, we
are told that “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always
having sufficiency in all things, YOU MAY ABOUND IN EVERY GOOD
WORK ’.” To be rich therefore means having enough for yourself and
moreover enough to give generously.

THE PURPOSE OF PROSPERITY

There are two kinds of “good works” that we are called to “abound in”
as Christians. The first and most obvious is the work of giving to those
in need. This is simply love expressed in practical ways. In John 13:35,
Jesus tells us that by this will all men know that we are His disciples, that
we love one another. This is the single distinguishing mark of a Christian
and there is no other way to identify us except by how we love . We are
defined by our love for others. One of the obvious ways in which we
love is to help those who are in need by giving out of our material
resources.

The second good work is to spread the good news of the Gospel. This is
the ultimate purpose of wealth and has always been in God’s plan for
the prosperity of His people. Deuteronomy 8:18 tells us that God gave

Israel the power to create wealth so that He might establish His
covenant which He swore to their forefathers. The Lord is speaking here

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