Paul promised the believers who were partners in his ministry that God would liberally supply all of their needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:19). He didn’t promise God would give them everything they wanted, but he did assure them God would meet their every need.
Many times, we think of needs in terms of the basic necessities of life-food, shelter, clothing, and finances to purchase these things. These represent our physical needs, but I believe God created us to need more than these essentials. Our needs are varied. We don’t simply need money, nourishment, a roof over our heads, and clothes to wear. We also need wisdom, strength, health, friends, and loved ones; and we need the gifts and talents and abilities to help us do what we are supposed to do in life. We need many things, and God is willing to meet all of our needs as we obey and trust Him. We must believe that He wants to provide for us. We should develop an expectant mind-set in this area.
The people Paul wrote to in Philippians were partners in his ministry and they helped him financially. They were obeying the law of sowing and reaping (see Galatians 6:7). We cannot expect to reap where we have not sown, but when we do sow good seeds; we should indeed expect good results. This is true in every area of our lives, including health, finances, abilities, relationships, and everything else that pertains to our well-being.
If we sow good seeds by respecting our physical bodies, feeding it nutritious food and drinking ample water, giving it plenty of sleep, and eliminating excessive stress, we can expect to reap a harvest of good health. If we sow mercy, we will reap mercy; if we sow judgment, we will reap judgment. If we forgive, we will be forgiven. If we are friendly, we will have friends. If we are generous, we will experience generosity returned. The law of sowing and reaping is one of the most simple to understand and one that produces great power in our lives. Just think about it… if you need friends all you have to do is be friendly!
What Is Prosperity?
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., once said, “I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money’s sake.”
The truth is a person is never truly prosperous if all he has is a lot of money; real prosperity requires far more than that. The apostle John writes, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers” (3 John 2). Obviously, John had a holistic approach to prosperity, and so should we. He didn’t even mention money, but focused on the body and the soul. When our bodies prosper, we are strong and physically healthy. Even if we currently have a physical ailment we can pray for and expect healing, but we need to sow good seed by taking care of ourselves and not abusing our bodies.
When our souls prosper, we flourish on the inside. We are at peace; we are full of joy; we are content; we live with a sense of destiny and purpose; we are growing spiritually; and we have strong, loving relationships with others.
God is a god of abundance and He wants us to live abundant lives. Jesus said that He came so we could have and enjoy life in abundance and to the full (see John 10:10).
Is It Wrong to Want Money?
We need money! We need it for housing, clothes, education, food, automobiles, entertainment, and many other things. Actually, if I think about it, most of the places I go, money is exchanged for some goods or services. It is not wrong to want money. it is not evil; it is the love of money that is a root of all evil (see 1 Timothy 6:10). Not only does money meet our needs, but it can be used to bless others, especially those who have needs and no way to meet those needs. People contribute money to our ministry and it enables us to preach the gospel in thirty-eight languages in approximately two-thirds of the world. It also enables us to feed the hungry, provide safe drinking water, fund orphanages, visit prisons, and hundreds of other things that help people.
It is not God’s will for wicked people to have all the money in the world while His people are constantly needy. We should be good stewards of what God gives us, and good investors. I believe we should respect money and never waste it. Proverbs says over and over that we should be prudent and that means being good managers.
There is a well-known Bible story about three men who were given talents (money) according to their ability to handle them. The man who received the most was given about five thousand dollars. He invested it and returned to his master the original five and five more besides. His master complimented him, telling him that he did a good job and would be put in charge of much (see Matthew 25:14–28). As I read this story it is obvious to me that God expects us to be wise investors and if we are He rewards us. We should never love money or be greedy for gain, but we should do the best we can with what we have. Use money in the service of God and man and never try to use God or man to get money! Money is only a small portion of prosperity, but we do need it and it is not wrong to ask God to supply it abundantly.
Think about It
Do you have a healthy, well-balanced attitude toward prosperity?
