1Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”, Ecclesiastes 10:19, “A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; But money answers everything”
A message commonly preached especially on TV is the message on prosperity. Who doesn’t want to be blessed financially? Rarely do I share along these lines, it’s not my priority message but I believe God blesses His people and uses these blessing to further His kingdom too.
If you were to receive a million bucks, you will have a list of things to do with it. A house may be first, then other things like investments, give to God to further His kingdom, feed the hungry and support the poor in Africa, Asia and even South America. Money can do a lot of things the bible tells us and we all know that to be true. We work for money, to pay our bills. We need money to live comfortably, you go to restaurant and money will be required of you. The world does not understand any language but the money language. Eat at a restaurant and try and offer faith to pay for your meals and see if it works. A man of faith needs money. I do not live by luck but by faith, luck would mean playing lotto hoping to hit a jackpot, gambling hoping to win. We serve a God of too much; we can have faith in Him to provide what we need.
Does God support prosperity, wealth, and money? Deuteronomy 8:18, “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth“. Though this was a promise to the Israelites if they met required conditions, the principle still applies to us but not the equivalent of a covenant and not a guarantee. Wealth here does not only talk about money but He does support it. He gives the power, the ability, skills, and ideas on how to gain it and then to complete it, He helps such people enjoy what He has provided them with. Ecclesiastes 2:24, “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God”. I would say, “Prosperity without God is trading on a dangerous path“. There are people today who are rich but are not enjoying what they have, it’s not bringing them peace or even joy, it has broken some families to mention a few. If every good and every perfect gift comes from above, the same author who provides prosperity is the same that will have to navigate it. Ecclesiastes 5:18-19, vs. “18…It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toiled under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him, for it his heritage. 19, “As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor, this is the gift of God”. By just looking at the few verses, I don’t see any shortcut anywhere, it requires hard work.
Prosperity could begin by having an idea, ability, talents and knowledge. Ecclesiastes 7:12, “For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense but the excellence of the knowledge is, wisdom gives life to those who have it”. Having wealth, prosperity, money whichever way you look at it requires wisdom to back it up for one to have life. The scripture we just looked at says, wisdom gives life to them that have money.
The same bible that supports wealth and riches also warns seriously of what it can do to a person, Matthew 19:24, “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”. It’s very clear that riches have made man forget God. No wonder Solomon, a man who God had given riches speaks these words to us in, Proverbs 30:8-9, vs. “8…Give me neither poverty nor riches…vs. 9, “Lest I be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God”. Solomon had riches because God had blessed Him but at the same time he allowed things in his life such as the women he married and those who were his concubines to turn his heart from God. 1Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”. For those who thought that money is evil, it’s not so, it’s the love of it. I would also say that lack of money is also the root of all kinds of evil according to Proverbs 30:8.
Even in hard work, ambitions can cloud your judgment. Contentment with God takes you far. The world craves for happiness, believers ought to crave for righteousness. Blessings Ev
He Has Magnified His Word 