Are Christians Meant To Be Prosperous?

In a nutshell:  Yes.  Without a shadow of a doubt.  Christians are meant to be prosperous.  We must also be acutely aware that the term "prosperous" means many things for many different people.  For an indian farm worker in the Punjab, prosperous is having a secure roof over their head and enough income for 3 meals a day.  Prosperous is all a matter of perspective.

The first thing we need to be careful of is comparison.  When we compare ourselves to others, we will fall into the trap of believing that because we aren't like "them", we're not prosperous.  That's a lie.  Having said that, we must also be very careful not to use this as an excuse not to believe for a blessed life!

God our beautiful and loving Father wants us to prosper!  Like any good dad, He wants to see His kids succeed in everything they do.  Not just because He has an agenda, but because He's a good Dad and He loves His kids!

Does He have an agenda?  Well...  yes.  And that too is for another post.  His agenda is simply to see the brokenness of this world made right.  And His plan is for that to happen through His kids.  How are we going to do that without being successful?  Exactly.

I want to take you on a short journey highlighting this glorious truth that should inspire you to get out there and walk in the favour God has given you!

1.  The New Covenant Means The World Is Yours

The New Covenant is founded on God's promise to Abraham.  (Galatians 3:14)

God's promises to Abraham were...   (Genesis 12:1 - 3)
- he would become a great nation
- God would make his name great
- he would be a blessing
- that all people on earth would be blessed through him.

As we see in Galatians 3:14, these promises are not just for Abraham, but for you as well!

2.  You Inherit The World By Believing This Promise

- Romans 4:13 - 16 clearly reveals that Abraham would inherit THE WORLD (yes, THE WORLD!) by faith.
- It also explicitly states that this promise to Abraham was not only for him, but for his offspring.
- On top of all this, it goes on to tell us that WE are his offspring!

You see, one of the great promises of the New Covenant (among many!) is that we would inherit the world.  You can't inherit the world as a pauper.  You are destined to prosper, because the world is yours!

3.  Through Jesus, You Can Reign In This Life (Not Just The Next!)

One chapter on, in Romans 5:17, one of the great verses of the New Covenant, we are promised that we would "reign in life" through Jesus.  My friend, the more you realise what Jesus did for you, the more you see His unconditional Love for you, the more you see His Power and Majesty, you will find yourself reigning in life.  Reigning in life means prospering.  Means being successful in everything you do.  It means everything you touch turning to gold.

Does this mean you won't have challenges?  No.  Does this mean that you won't face trials?  No, reigning in life or being prosperous does not mean all troubles are erased.  These promises mean that the troubles and trials are not for nothing!  The promises mean that you can press on through the trials because your successes are waiting for you on the other side!

Next week Friday, I want to show you HOW you as a child of God can go out and claim the success and prosperity promised in this Glorious New Covenant.  And no, it's not by "naming it and claiming it".  ;)

Stay tuned for next week's edition...

-------------


Please note that I am very aware that this is a subject that could require some serious theological explanation.  But for brevity I will leave that either for a separate post, or for the comments section.  Or you are welcome to email me with questions.