New Christians soon find themselves wondering what the Bible has to say about prosperity. Before beginning, keep in mind one key thing. God’s prosperity isn’t measured by how many things we’ve accumulated in our garages. It isn’t measured by the size of the house or how new the car is. It isn’t about investment accounts or FICO scores. God’s prosperity is instead measured by how much treasure each of us have accumulated in Heaven, period. As for material wealth? “Having food and raiment (clothing), let us therewith be content” 1 Timothy 6.8-10
Can Christians be rich?
One of the best lessons about prosperity in the Bible can be found in Matthew chapter 18. There we read about a rich young ruler who had questions about what he needed to do to be perfect. After a brief exchange and knowing the man’s heart and how important his things were to him he said, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” The young man was very sorrowful and left when he heard that. How different was he though, from most American Christians today?
This is a sermon that’s easy to brush aside and then forget about. Ask yourself though, how spiritual are you really? How many hours each day to you spend in prayer? My answer to that is embarrassing: Not very spiritual most days, and not multiple hours in prayer per day ever. It’s not that I don’t want the Kingdom of God. It’s that most days the cares of this world are either more interesting, or more urgent, or harder to set aside than my Bible is.
Covetousness, which is Idolatry
Colossians 3.5 clearly says that covetousness, which is desiring to have things that we don’t have, is idolatry. Think about that in the context of the American preoccupation with prosperity and material wealth! Most so-called “successful” Americans would resent being told that the contents of their homes and garages constitute a form of worship. Idolatry brings to mind scenes of statues to pagan gods like the golden calf that that the Hebrews carried with them into the wilderness during their delivery out of bondage.
The Purpose of Television
Television’s purpose is different for different people. For the viewers its purpose might be for entertainment or information. For those producing content though, it’s to sell advertising. Another way to say that is that the purpose of television is to get you to COVET something! If you’re a Christian looking for ways to save money, live a more relaxed life, and to grow closer to God, then do yourself and your family a big favor: TURN OFF YOUR TELEVISION… or better yet, get it out of the house altogether. I’ve not owned a television for over 30 years now. Now if I’m visiting someone and there’s a television on, I’m looking for ways to get out of the room. I will NOT let ads influence my life in any way! We stream videos of good movies instead. You can find the news online if you must, but getting rid of TV ads altogether was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.