What does God think about our prosperity? - Prosperity - TouchPoints

Job 41:11“Who has given me anything that I [God] need to pay back? Everything under heaven is mine.”

Psalm 24:1-2The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.

Psalm 50:12“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.”

Haggai 2:8“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

God never wants us to forget that all prosperity is simply stewardship of what is rightfully his as our Creator. Our possession of anything material is temporary and restricted to this world. We cannot take material prosperity with us when we die. All of it ultimately remains God’s property; we are the caretakers of what he has given us.

Genesis 26:12-13When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18“He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.”

Deuteronomy 26:9-10“‘He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! And now, O Lord, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest you have given me from the ground.’ Then place the produce before the Lord your God, and bow to the ground in worship before him.”

1 Samuel 2:7The Lord makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up.

Job 1:21He [Job] said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

Proverbs 22:2The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both.

Ecclesiastes 5:19It is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.

God does not seem to criticize his people who prosper, as long as they honor him with their prosperity. God has a role in the circumstances that bring about prosperity, but prosperity is not necessarily a reward. Those who do not materially prosper are not necessarily being punished or forgotten. It is not what we have, but what we do with what we have that counts.

Matthew 6:19-24“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

1 Timothy 6:17Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.

Revelation 18:14, 20“The fancy things you [Babylon] loved so much are gone,” they cry. “All your luxuries and splendor are gone forever, never to be yours again.” . . . “Rejoice over her fate, O heaven and people of God and apostles and prophets! For at last God has judged her for your sakes.”

God lovingly and generously provides for our needs. God’s desire is for us to trust in him as the living provider—not to trust in the provision itself or in the work we do in the pursuit of wealth. When we choose to trust in anything or anyone other than God, we will be judged by God. If we die in possession of great wealth in this world, we will be cut off from God and end up with nothing.

Ephesians 1:3All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

Ephesians 3:8Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.

Philippians 4:19This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 1:4We have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

God’s glorious riches are available to all those who believe in Jesus. But we must think of these riches as coming from him, not from our own actions and not being fully in our possession. We need to recognize that everything we have comes from God and that it includes the blessings of eternal life. This is ultimate and eternal prosperity.

Matthew 16:26“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”

Luke 12:21“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

1 Timothy 6:6-7True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.

1 Peter 1:18You know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value.

As tempting as the prosperity of the world is, God points to a greater, richer, and ultimately satisfying prosperity with him. It allows us to be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.

Psalm 19:8-11The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.

Psalm 119:14I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches.

Proverbs 16:8Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest.

Proverbs 16:16How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!

Proverbs 23:23Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.

God’s instructions and rules for living are priceless. The value of a life lived by them cannot be measured, but God treasures it.

1 Kings 3:9-13“Give me [Solomon] an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!”

Proverbs 22:1Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

Too often we define prosperity quantitatively by how many possessions we have or how much financial wealth we have. Instead, we should think of prosperity as God does, counting highly the true value of our souls, our relationship with him, his Word, godliness, truth, wisdom, and a good reputation. These riches are lasting and priceless. When Solomon chose to ask God for wisdom to rule well rather than fabulous wealth and power, God answered first by giving Solomon what he had requested and then added what he had not asked for but demonstrated by his choice that he could safely receive.

Proverbs 12:11A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

Proverbs 13:11Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.

The Bible does recognize that there is a God-created cause and effect relationship between hard work and material prosperity. It offers a scathing rebuke to those unwilling to work but who expect to gain benefits despite their laziness.

2 Corinthians 9:11Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.

Philippians 4:18At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.

Regarding “financial” prosperity, God is pleased when we work diligently and we share generously. God is concerned with our attitude about, and stewardship of, financial wealth. When we have those assigned the right priority, he may be more apt to entrust us with great resources. Don’t assume, however, that everyone with financial prosperity has the right attitude about wealth. It is far more important that we have the right attitude about wealth than that we have great wealth.