How the Bible makes one prosperous
“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Joshua 1:7-8 KJV
We live in a world that depends on prosperity. Prosperity makes the economy tick. Advertisers exist to influence us to buy the latest gadget to make our lives easier (or so they try to convince us). As a result we now try to keep up with our neighbours. Then there is that terrible thing called ‘the credit card’ whereby we can have things before we need them! Slowly we head into bankruptcy. Is this right or is there another way? There are religious groups that say that if we worship God He will make us prosperous, but is that what the Bible really says?
Let us delve into the scriptures; firstly looking at the above quotation Joshua 1:7-8.
Notice two things; this is God’s instruction (v1) and that it is repeated for emphasis so God is telling Joshua to take serious note.
Where do we go wrong then? What is our motive for prosperity? What was Joshua’s? When we begin to meditate on these things we realize there are serious consequences to the way we respond!
For Joshua it was to be successful in leading a nation into the promised land of Palestine.
For us it will be success in…?
When Solomon was old and experienced in life matters he wrote sobering words in his book Ecclesiastes where he tells us that all materialistic ideals are vanity compared to the true worship of God (see Ecclesiastes1:2-3 and 12:13-14) and he was one of the wisest men that ever lived!
Now we should consider our motives. Why do we want prosperity? To be able to live this life comfortably? Let’s see what the Bible tells us in Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man [that’s success and prosperity] that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the LORD and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
These words of David echo the instructions given to Joshua as we see that prosperity or success in life is linked directly with obedience and respect to God’s word.
We will now consider some words by Jesus, the Son of God, where he speaks to us in Matthew 6 which should be read, but I will pick out some verses to think about. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal; for where your treasure is , there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). And, “Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed?’ (For after all these things do the Gentiles {nations} seek;) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:31-33).
So we have to analyze our motives. Are they for our personal benefit or for helping others?
You may also find Matthew 25 has some searching questions regarding what we do with what God has blessed us with.
Article by Cliff. Photo by Thành Trần.
