THE PURPOSE OF FINANCIAL PROSPERITY

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KEY TEXT: Deuteronomy 30:9 (KJV) – “And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good.”

God wants to bless you for good not for evil. He wants you to prosper financially and in all other areas, so that you can use your prosperity for good, mainly to serve Him and fellow human beings. God wants you to use everything He has given you, whether large or small, for His purpose. Therefore, check all your possessions and ask yourself how you use each to further the gospel of Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:33 (KJV) – “Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” Paul never sought his own profit; he always sought the profit of others. He thought of others more than he thought of himself. That is true Christianity.

“No man becomes rich unless he enriches others.”― John C. Maxwell, Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow’s Success.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Whatever we do we should do it to the glory of God. Whatever we use to carry out our duties, we should use them to the glory of God. Therefore, we should analyze all our possessions and determine if we are using them to glorify God. You can take a pen and a piece of paper, write down everything you own, and ask yourself how you are using each one for the glory of God.

Start with your phone. How are you using it for the glory of God? Are you using it only to share memes and scroll on social media, checking people’s lives and looking at the latest fashion trends? You could give it a more noble use, like sharing God’s Word with your friends or followers. Are you using your laptop to glorify God? Or do you use it just to play games and watch evil movies that add no value? You can put it to better usage by sparing a few minutes and using it to research various Bible topics that will help you to answer the spiritual questions that you may be having. You can also use it to enhance your knowledge of multiple subjects and to watch inspirational videos. You can also use it to write Christian articles like this one. Also, consider the minor things you own, like your ink pen. Are you using it to glorify God? You may have a lofty position in an organization and use your pen to sign corrupt deals.

Therefore, as minor, as it is, it ends up being a curse rather than a blessing. How are you using the car that God has given you? Where are you driving it to? Are you driving it to nightclubs and other evil missions? Have you ever used it to visit the sick in hospital and other afflicted members of society? My friend Dennis used to use his Range Rover to take random neighborhood kids to church every Sunday. Later, he gifted the church all his personal cars and was left with no car for a while (probably 2 or 3 years). That is a spectacular example of good stewardship of God’s resources.

In Matthew 25:14-30, we see the parable of the talents. In this parable, the first servant was given five talents, increasing them to 10. The second servant was given two talents; he grew them to four. The third was given one talent, but he didn’t increase it; instead, he buried it in the earth because it was too little. The third one feared that he would lose his talent. He despised it because it was too small Ecclesiasticus 19:1 (KJVAAE) – “He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little.” The master took it away from him and cast the slothful servant away.

What are you doing with the little that God has entrusted you with? Or are you the type who is always complaining that God has not given you enough? Matthew 25:29 (KJV) – ”For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him, that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.” Maybe God has not added you more than you already have because you have not maximized what you have. For example, you buy a new notebook because the one you have is fully filled.

Most times, you buy a new biro pen because the ink in the one you have has been exhausted. And why is that ink finished? It is because it has been used to the maximum. There is no need to buy a new notebook or pen if you haven’t used the current ones. Therefore, sometimes God sees no need to give you fresh resources if you haven’t maximized the current ones for His glory. This is because if He does so, it will be a waste of the current ones and God hates wasting.

John 6:12-13 (KJV) – “12 When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” After feeding the multitude, Jesus commanded His disciples to collect everything remaining so that nothing was wasted.

You may have a lucrative legal business idea but no capital to start. Please don’t fail to start it because there is no capital. God, who has given you that idea, will provide you with the capital. Start by doing the things which need no money first. For example, let’s say you want to open a grocery store, start by writing down the vision (Habakkuk 2:2). Write down your target market and your unique value proposition. Write down the marketing channels you would want to use and research the cost of using the various marketing channels. Take a walk and identify locations that are most suitable for that grocery store. Research the average profits of different grocery stores (this information may be challenging to find, but it’s possible). Research various suppliers and determine the most affordable supplier that keeps quality high. Then ask yourself, what is the least amount you can start with? Afterward, write down a business plan and a marketing plan. Network with various people in the same industry.

Put God at the center of it and find out how your business will bring more people closer to Jesus Christ. God will open one door after the other as you progress on your purpose. He may not open all entries at once because He is a God who loves step-by-step procedure, as He created the whole universe in six days. He didn’t make it in one day. Before God actualized the plan of salvation, God sent various people to speak to the world for about 4,000 years. There was a process before sending Jesus physically to this world.

You may be unemployed. Before you wait for God to give you employment, you can use that time to add more skills. You may not have money to do paid professional certificates but there are free ones. Secondly, if you can’t find free professional courses, you may use your internet connection to build up your skills without necessarily getting the certificate. Because the skills/education you are going to get is more valuable than the certificate. When God realizes that you are fully prepared for that job, He will give you that job.

You may have an idea to write a book, but you don’t have money to publish it. Write the book first, and along the way, after you finish it, God will open doors. I self-published my first three books namely, A Faith Fueled Life, Daily Direction with Jesus and I Need Jesus Now with no startup capital. So far, those are the only books that I have published. In other words, all my published books as of now have been published and distributed without me having initial capital.

In the book, Why “A” students work for “C” students and “B” students work for the government, Robert Kiyosaki talks about his popular bestselling book, Rich Dad Poor Dad. He says after writing his book, he was rejected by all publishers. He was left with no choice but to self-publish the book. The book became a bestseller and sold over 30,000,000 copies giving him access to more opportunities like speaking events and mentorship programs.

Since the book was self-published, he earned more money than he would have made from the other publishers who had rejected him. God is a God who opens doors, especially if you walk following His will and do everything to His glory. Matthew 5:45 talks about God sending rain to the just and the unjust. Matthew 6, talks about how God takes care of the fowls of the air (Matthew 6:26). It talks about how God takes care of the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28) and how He clothes the grass (Matthew 6:30). The question is, how much more shall He do for you, who believes in Him and who lives daily pursuing your God-given purpose?

Start today; start immediately. You may be asleep and while you are sleeping, you get a powerful idea in your dream. Wake up immediately and write it down and start working on it. Success is not a one-time miracle. It is the result of consistent daily efforts.

“The marked prosperity which attended everything placed under Joseph’s care was not the result of a direct miracle; but his industry, care, and energy were crowned with the divine blessing. Joseph attributed his success to the favor of God, and even his idolatrous master accepted this as the secret of his unparalleled prosperity. Without steadfast, well-directed effort, however, success could never have been attained. God was glorified by the faithfulness of His servant. It was His purpose that in purity and uprightness the believer in God should appear in marked contrast to the worshipers of idols—that thus the light of heavenly grace might shine forth amid the darkness of heathenism.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 214.4, Ellen G. White. In harmony with this, John C. Maxwell says the following in his book, Today Matters, “The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.” He adds on and says, “The only adequate preparation for tomorrow is the right use of today.”

The following quotation may be an excellent quotation to keep you psyched up and in the right thoughts as you start a new day. It can be helpful if you recite it daily.

“Just for Today . . . Just for today . . . I will choose and display the right attitudes. Just for today . . . I will determine and act on important priorities. Just for today . . . I will know and follow healthy guidelines. Just for today . . . I will communicate with and care for my family. Just for today . . . I will practice and develop good thinking. Just for today . . . I will make and keep proper commitments. Just for today . . . I will earn and properly manage finances. Just for today . . . I will deepen and live out my faith. Just for today . . . I will initiate and invest in solid relationships. Just for today . . . I will plan for and model generosity. Just for today . . . I will embrace and practice good values. Just for today . . . I will seek and experience improvements. Just for today . . . I will act on these decisions and practice these disciplines, and then one day . . . I will see the compounding results of a day lived well.” ― John C. Maxwell, Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow’s Success.

“Today Matters. People create success in their lives by focusing on today. It may sound trite, but today is the only time you have. It’s too late for yesterday. And you can’t depend on tomorrow. That’s why today matters.” ― John C. Maxwell, Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow’s Success.

Deuteronomy 28:2 (KJV) – “And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.” God wants His blessings to overtake you. He does not just want to give you blessings that are fit for you, but He wants to provide you with blessings that will go beyond you. That is why He commands you to obey Him (Deuteronomy 28:1).

Ephesians 3:20 (KJV) – “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” God understands that if He gives you blessings when you are disobedient, you will misuse those blessings and you will cause significant harm to the world. As a result, He may be waiting till you become obedient so that when He blesses you, you can use His blessings for the greater good.

Lastly,

Deuteronomy 5:15 (KJV) – “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” When we become prosperous, many of us tend to forget that it is God who has given us success. We forget quickly that the things we have now were once a prayer item spending long hours and many days praying for them to come. God urges us to remember Him always.

We should remember God in the days of our prosperity the way we used to remember Him in our troublesome days. If we do that, we will maintain and increase our success since “righteousness exalteth a nation. (Proverbs 14:34, KJV).” The Sabbath assists in keeping us in constant connection with God as we are reminded every Saturday when we rest the whole twenty-four hours that whatever we have earned is not by our efforts, but it is through the blessings of God since God is the Creator, the Savior, and the Sanctifier.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for the resources that You have entrusted me with. Lord please help me to use all that You have entrusted me with for Your glory and for the blessing of Your people. Please increase my financial resources and guide me on how to use those financial resources. Forgive me for wasting and please help me to stop wasting whatever that I am wasting. Please help me to be consistent in daily improving myself to meet your high standards of righteousness. Please take away anything that is holding me back from true prosperity and that includes true financial prosperity. Help me to daily yield to your control. I pray this through the Holy Spirit in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Activity

Take a pen and a paper, write everything you own and ask yourself how you are using each for the glory of God.
Reflect: Have you used what is in your hand for God’s glory?
Reflect: Have you used what is in your hand for the blessing of God’s people?
Reflect: What are you wasting (in terms of time, talents, money, resources, and health)? Be precise in the specific thing that you are wasting. For example, “I waste a lot of time doing this and this.” Pray to God and ask Him to help you to stop wasting it.
Ask God how you can turn what you are wasting for good.
Daily recite this quote: