Juggling Prosperity

Where is the balance? Or is there one? This Sunday we congratulated our graduating seniors from both college and high school. It is a tradition to send them out with prayers as they begin the next step of their lives. But the sermon got me to thinking about the balance between having and not having. The verse from yesterday was Jeremiah 29:11-13, esv:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare [2] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

The first concern I had was that this verse was essentially preached out of context with what the rest of the chapter was talking about. These words of comfort come within the context of the Isrealites being in the middle of their captivity. There was no mention of trials, no mention of these blessing to take place. The second concern I had was when I briefly thought about the "name it and claim it" type of preachers. They too preach that God wants to prosper us as His children - which He does. I jsut don't think it will be in the ways one would typically expect. I'm pretty sure Job did not feel like he was being blessed when he was in the middle of the torment. I'm pretty sure the disciples were not feeling prosperous when the various factiosn hunted them down and killed them one by one in their vain attempts to silence the preaching of the gospel. What of the saints and believers today who suffer hunger and persecution around the world for their faith? Why are they not being "blessed" with prosperity? The answer is that our true rewards are not seen in this life. They are not fully realized this side of Heaven. And we do not know the full meaning of prosperity yet. I think we as Chrisitans, especially those of us who live in the United States, need to realize that we are being tested with the gift of prosperity. Think about these two examples:

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. [6] And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44, esv)

and:

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! (Luke 18:18-24, esv)

These are two examples of what God considers to be the ideal. The wealthy may be able to put hundreds of dollars into the offering whereas the poor may only be able to place a dollar or two. What God sees is not the number of dollars (or Pesos, or Yen, or whatever) but the percentage of the whole. Whether it is being done in faith or with joy. What I want to tell the graduates, and my fellow believers, is that it is true. God does want to bless you with prosperity. but do not look to your own, or the worlds definition of what it means to be prosperous. Because God also says, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”. On that last day there will be untold numbers ahead of me. I am grateful with what God has blessed me with, I just pray that if He asks me to lay them all down that I would do so. Willingly, and with a joyful heart. What I am concerned about in my own life is, where is the balance? I do bring my tithes and offering into the storehouse of God (Malachi 3:6-10), but I also know I am not perfect in this. I also know I am not condemned because I am not perfect. But where am I holding on to what God has asked me to give up? Do I have an extra 'cloak' to give to my brother without? Am I hording up my wealth where rust and moth can destroy? These are my daily struggles when it comes to my own material prosperity. Verse for today: Revelation 3:15-22, ESV “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”