It’s amazing to me how much we depend on money in our culture and how little attention we actually place on obtaining it. I know the cliché, “Money doesn’t buy you happiness,” but I strongly suspect the one who coined it, didn’t have it (smile). In fact, I’m willing to bet that most anti-money slogans came about by struggling people, working hard to justify why they didn’t have it… “Money isn’t everything,” right? Yet money is something; a something you need an ample amount of to get the things you need. You’ll notice that even when people pray they substitute the word prosperity as if that’s a more wholesome term. Money isn’t evil, unless you love it more than anything else.
There were men in the Bible that were rich. Job, the greatest man of the east, was rich. In fact, after God pointed out how Job was the greatest, He took the time to enumerate his possessions. Why? Because it matters, that’s why! 😉 Now that’s certainly not all there is to Job (of course). Job loved the good and hated evil. Evil was distasteful to him (and that’s a fascinating reality we are going to get to later on)… But, in the interim, get your money right, kid!
When my kids were growing up, I don’t recall being big on giving advice (yelling maybe, but not advice :-)). However, I do vividly recall telling one of my older sons something that I felt was important enough to make sure he didn’t miss the message. I said, “Josh if I can tell you one thing before you get married that will make your life innumerably easier, it’s get your money right son and do it earlier rather than later!” I said it because I still remembered how much difficulty not having enough money caused my wife and I when we first got married. Not having enough money gives everyone difficulty! You live in houses or apartments that you hate. You drive a car you can’t depend on. You can’t afford to do the things you want to do. You can’t buy your basic needs; go on vacations; or enjoy many of the things you see other people enjoying. Is that a criticism? Never! I know what it’s like to not have enough. So I want you my friends, to have enough. That’s not to say that life is miserable when you don’t have enough. Sure you can vacation for less. Sure you can make a place work or a car or make a little go along way; as you should do in that situation. All I’m saying is that you don’t have to live that way.
God’s will for all people (not just Christians) is prosperity. Prosperity being loosely defined as flourishing; having more than enough; being successful. You can’t flourish when your needs aren’t met. And, the beautiful thing about this is that you determine your need. Warning: Never let other people determine your need! And, while I’m ranting, believing to have more than enough isn’t greed! Greed is wanting sole possession. Greed is being wealthy and not being willing to help your family out. If I inherited 10 million dollars tomorrow, you can believe that my family would be rich as well! (Okay, okay settle down now…you have a message.)
God says that he desires ABOVE ALL THINGS that we prosper and be in health. But, He adds, even as your soul prospers. Prosperity is a state of mind. It’s a willingness to receive all of the wonderful things that God wants to give you. Prosperity, like happiness is our normal state of being. It’s not something we have to strive for, it’s something we can simply receive if we can learn to wrap our minds around it. Remember Job? He got to the place where evil or wrong was unpleasant to him; it was distasteful. And, the absence of evil (hindrances, hold backs, blockages) results in prosperity. I believe that receiving the good things that God has for you is less about having to do something and more about not doing (thinking) certain things. This old world is setup to distract you and bombard you with thoughts and activities that actually cut off your blessings, rather than encourage you to receive them. So our job is to figure out what things in our lives take away our happiness and flourishing mindset and get back to that place where all that is wonderful resides. “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him…!” Let that simmer for a little bit…
In all phases of life we recognize the need to take the necessary steps to get where we want to go, except, sadly, for getting more money. We have to change that mindset once and for all. Make your personal prosperity a priority (it is God’s promise to you, after all). Decide right now that you are going to take the time required to figure out how you can “prosper” (see that word made you feel better :)). Money to get the things you need isn’t going to fall out of the sky folks. Life just doesn’t work that way. Yet, if you can grasp this reality, God has placed everything you need to flourish all around you, if you can just open your eyes (and heart) to see it.
Open your heart my friends and get your money right!
Just some good thoughts…
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