I asked myself this as I was reading my daily devotion today where the anchor text was taken from Proverbs 17- I decided to read the whole chapter as is my custom and my eyes fell on verse 20- “The crooked heart will not prosper; the lying tongue tumbles into trouble.”(Proverbs 17:20).
And I was like hang on here a minute I am confused because I see tons of people here prospering by being crooked and dishonest and appearing to live well with an abundance of material possessions to show prosperity.
What is the Bible talking about? So I asked the Holy Spirit, what does prosper mean . And he led me to search the meaning of the word prosper and I realized that biblical prosper or prosperity is different from the world’s understanding of prosperity.
According to the standard of the world, prosperity is tied to our wealth or should I say stuff or possessions , because the word wealth is deep too. So we are considered prosperous based on our worldly possessions. Someone is considered prosperous based on how much material wealth he has. Wealth could be money, cars, investments, etc.
Apparently, the kingdom of God does not explain prosperity along these lines, For instance, in the parable of the rich man (the Bible calls him “the rich fool”- Luke 12:16-21. The man was fully prosperous in terms of worldly possessions. He had so much he was even needing additional storage for his excess, but the Bible says that God called him a fool.
Wow, so does that mean that it is foolish to store up what you have or your excess for a rainy day? On the contrary, Proverbs 6:6-9 tells us to go and learn from the ants who gather in the summer and are safe in the winter. It also means that we need to work hard to even have possession like the ant did.
So while prosperity can include material possessions as blessings from God, what does it mean? The emphasis is not on the act of preserving or saving our possessions but on our hearts. The rich fool was very self centered, all his heart was set on was himself and his family. He only cared about amassing wealth and storing up his treasures for the future. Remember where our treasure is there our hearts are.
In the kingdom of God, we are not called to be selfish or just to amass wealth for the sake of amassing it and becoming fixated on it. In Matthew 25:35-40 -” For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
He also continues in Matthew 25:41-45 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
So, you see, we are called to love one another and to be our brother’s helper. While we are blessed by God and become prosperous in terms of material wealth, the aim is not for us to become fixated on it. The Bible tells us to – give to everyone who asks (Luke 6:30), to give to those who cannot repay (Luke 14:13 – 14), and to freely give what we have freely received (Matthew 10:8).
I came across a 700 club video which helped me to understand that prosperity in the Bible is based on relationships and in refreshing ourselves. In the sense that if I help someone even to succeed then I feel fulfilled and I prosper – Proverbs 11:25. There is a fulfillment in prosperity because it involves an action or the action of helping someone else, giving, or pushing forward in difficult areas of life. The video which I will link explains that to prosper is not to accumulate stuff although it can lead to it but in our perseverance particularly in helping others as it leads to a prosperity of heart and soul.
I also came across another teaching that explains Prosperity as stemming from our relationship with God. God made us for himself and for relationship with him. So when we come to the father through Jesus, we start a relationship with him, and start to have fellowship with God. In this relationship, we are nourished and prosperity – (our nourishment from the father) easily becomes our way of life. We rely on God for everything just like he intended in the beginning and our lives are fuller and richer- prosperous which culminates in eternity spent with him 1 Corinthians 2:9. Meaning the real prosperous life we desire will meet its real fulfillment when we meet with the Lord. While we enjoy some form of it here on earth the Bible says it is nothing compared to what we will experience with him in eternity. https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-prosperity.html
So to be prosperous is to know God
So till then, while I enjoy my fellowship here with God on earth and with my loved ones, lifting them up and in turn be lifted, I am looking forward to eternal prosperity with God. Amen.
I hope you are too and if you are yet to accept Jesus to make him Lord over your life, please do not hesitate. The bible says in Hebrews 3:15 ‘Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.’ if you hear his voice today, do not linger turn to the Lord, let him nourish your hearts and your lives today and that will lead you to live a truly prosperous life.
If you are ready to change and start living the life God has planned for you, please say this prayer:
Dear God, I am a sinner, and I admit that I do things my way. Please forgive me and accept me into your family in Jesus’s name.
If you say this prayer sincerely and believe it in your heart – your inner being, you are born again and have become grafted into the family of almighty God. Welcome to the family. Please find a bible based church where you can fellowship and be discipled; your life will never be the same again.
I love you and God bless. Feel free to reach out, I am always happy to hear from you.