Tense Truth: God has established clearly-defined principles of life management that can make me prosper, and my tomorrow better than today. Yet for his own good purposes, God will allow me to suffer in order to further the gospel, transform my character, and mature my faith. Regardless of the what the circumstances of the moment suggest, God is for me, and will reward faithfulness, to some degree in this life, and to a much greater degree in the next.
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Mention the word “prosperity” to American Evangelical Christians and you’ll get one of two responses. The first is a kind of entranced smile – a brightened countenance very similar to the sheer delight we used to see from people at an Amway meeting.
The second is that uncomfortable, “what do you mean by that?” kind of look, suggesting that money is the world’s curse, and that people who have it must be materialistic swine or should somehow apologize or feel guilty.
So which are you? “Amen?” Or “Oh me?” Or maybe, like me, you vacillate from one to the other.
The challenge with all this is that the Bible categorically promises success to people who live according to principles or laws that God has established. “Everything he does will prosper,” the psalmist said in Psalm 1. And check out those blessings mentioned by Moses in Deuteronomy.
That said, the Bible also deals with the apparent contradiction of that – the prosperity of the wicked. Those mirroring psalms – 37 and 73 – both deal with that. The wicked does have his day, the psalmist concludes, but God has a way of sorting things out in the end, when it matters most.
Meanwhile, in the New Testament, Jesus didn’t promise a life without tribulation. On the contrary, He said we would have it, despite what people uniquely in America sometimes promise. Our rewards are presented mostly as heavenly, post-life promises. But even in places, such as here, there is the declaration that God has obligated Himself to meet all our needs.
So which is it? Suffering in this age, followed by our eternal treasure in heaven? Or timeless principles that work in the age to come, but also may be claimed, believed, and acted on here?
Yes.
Does God want you and me to be rich?
Yes. So long as He defines what wealth is. And herein lies the problem, both with the prosperity gospel and the “poverty gospel.”
The prosperity gospel:
- Narrowly defines prosperity in material terms. If your only definition of wealth is material, you’re a fool.
- Uses an ongoing, modern, Western standard for defining wealth. How many bedrooms, bathrooms, vehicles or HDTVs constitutes wealth? When is enough ever enough?
- Assumes that need is the result of a lack of faith or the fault of the needy. That simply isn’t always true.
- Uses “faith,” affirmations as a form of modern voodoo or witchcraft (all in the name of God) to claim personal wishes as God’s will.
- Assumes that claimed blessings must be delivered at the same pace as a cosmic vending machine.
The “poverty gospel” isn’t much better. It:
- Approaches life in this world as a necessary evil, devoid of joy or any expectation.
- Is completely uncomfortable with a God who categorically offers rewards, both in this life and even more in the next.
- Assumes that any and all promised blessing is unattainable in this life, therefore is uncomfortable with asking God for specific wishes or needs – despite the repeated offers by God to call on Him.
- Applies “faith” to the facts of yesterday or the promises of tomorrow, but feels unworthy or unwilling to believe God can be trusted to actually change circumstances today. Faith is a means of accepting reality, not changing it.
Somewhere in between is a truth that serves as an encouragement to true believers, and an anchor to the soul in times of abundance or times of need: God is for me. What else does He have to do to prove it? And because He is for me,
- I can call on Him with my specific requests in confidence that He will meet the real needs.
- I can apply His principles of wisdom to my finances and material possessions in order to give the “10%” and manage the “90%.”
- I can give freely, hilariously, lavishly to the gospel and know that I will never lose my reward for doing so.
- I can trust Him to define prosperity and success in terms of fulfilled purpose for me.
- I can patiently wait on Him to finish what He started, and to fulfill His promises to me, regardless of where I am (here or heaven) when I receive them.
Now go pump a little gas and let me know what you think.
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Well said Andy. I’m with you on being in between and think your summation of the “confession” issue as “modern voodoo’ IS SPOT ON. Nice job. God is God and we are not. How dare we think we can call the shots and use him as a divine butler to meet each of our whims.
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