Does God prosper His worshipers?
Some Christians believe that since the prosperity Gospel is rightly identified as a false Gospel, that, therefore, God never desires to prosper His worshippers. There are several scriptures that show the opposite of that, and that that God is delighted in His servants prosperity (Psalm 35:27).
God prospered Solomon so wonderfully that no one in the past or in the present world has beaten the prosperity track record of King Solomon. “Abraham was also greatly blessed by God "Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold” (Genesis 13:2).
There is no doubt that God prospers His people. Anyone who disputes this does not know God and does not understand the omnipotent power of God. “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him” (Psalm 24:1).
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There is a great difference between the false prosperity Gospel, which some preachers teach, and God’s loving-kindness to His people. Christians should not give with sense of entitlement for God's blessings because it was not originally so. However, God does choose to bless His people.
It is important to note that biblical rich men did not follow any formula before they were blessed by God. They did not even anticipate any blessing before God prospered them. They served God diligently and He decided on His own to prosper them. God vowed to bless Abraham when He saw his faithfulness and determination to please Him.
“And said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22:16-18).
God swore to bless Abraham because Abraham was determined to sacrifice his son to Him. He was not motivated by reward. He simply decided to give his son to God. The prosperity which some pastors teach today is motivated by greed and the will of man while the blessing of God comes by the will of God.
God responds to sacrifice, which is not motivated by selfish desire and greed, but by love.
Solomon was the richest man in the Bible. He attracted divine prosperity when he gave a thousand burnt offering. When others were giving just one burnt offering, he went the extra miles. He did not sow seed to receive a hundred-fold; his offering was motivated by love for God.
“So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice’, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for — both wealth and honor — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings” (1 King 3:11-13).
Solomon did not put his personal desire first, neither did he give a thousand burnt offering for God to honor him and make him wealthy. God saw his heart and decided to prosper and honor him. God granted him his heart desire and added all the things that He deemed fit including wealth and honor. When believers seek the kingdom of God first with His righteousness, God adds ‘all these things’ which include wealth and honor. First thing should be placed first and not the other way round, as advocated by prosperity Gospel preachers.
Whatever God decides to add is His prerogative and should be accepted without complaints. He knows our needs more than we do. All we need to do is to prioritize and seek His kingdom. Christ enjoined us not to think about our needs because our Heavenly Father knows about them and is able to take care of us (Mathew 6:25-26).
It is also important to note that whatever God has added to us should be used to advance His kingdom through Gospel intervention, especially to areas where no one has preached nor heard about Jesus. Believers’ resources should also be used for humanitarian projects that touch the lives of the less privileged ( Mathew 25:35-40).
Christians are not to accumulate wealth here on earth for themselves. Our treasures should be invested in God's Kingdom by keeping them in Heaven where moths cannot corrupt and thieves cannot steal (Mathew 6:19).
We all need money. But wealth can also be a trap. The kind of attention that we often give to wealth and prosperity in churches today calls for sober reflection. Instead of Christians following man-made theology on prosperity, we should strive to seek the kingdom of God first with its righteousness. That remains our top priority.
Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. His calling is to take the gospel to where no one has neither preached nor heard about Jesus. He is the author of the book Mystery Of The Cross Revealed.
