- Romans 12:3 (NIV) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
- Matthew 25: (NIV) For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
Saw a bumper sticker and then a billboard about the Lottery and I thought about this verse. Diligence is out. Blatant self-promotion, even looking silly, is in. The later is the faster way to riches. Looking for the shortcuts has become the grist of reality TV and a way of American life: not many work at planning and then working the plan. TV games shows promote alliances, lying, "winning" at all costs.
The thinking behind each type is foundational to our understanding here. The rashness of the poor drives their thinking in terms of the greed-of-quick-gain Thinking that is centered on self while proclaiming consideration of others ("I'm doing this for us!" is a common line - if it for us, why wasn't I involved in the decision?). This is the person who does not think before he/she acts -you know the kind: as soon as it enters the thinking it becomes action. Driven by sight, not be faith, these folks seek no counsel other than their own and spend (invest) to reap what they have not sown.
Living by faith, not by sight, trusting in the grace God has given demands diligence. Diligence to study His word and trust His view of wealth, abundance and stewardship. And I'm certain the author of this verse observed, in its first half, what was a natural consequence of life - (verse 6 illustrates what bad thinking and bad living lead to – 21:6 (NAS) The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.) But the question is begged in first half of the verse - just what is prosperity?
In our culture, it is a relative term. How wealthy you are depends on your Zip Code or your Country Code. However, we are called to be good stewards of what we have been given and not concern our thinking about those who have been given more than we. God does not care about our Zip Code. He cares what we do with Zip Code he has given us. What we earn for being a good steward has an eternal pay off not necessarily a temporal reward in terms of wealth. Prosperity for the believer is about stewardship, not accumulation of wealth.
Stewardship results from planning and not hasty responding. God's people are instructed over and over again to seek the counsel of other Godly people when making plans. Learning to ask others for advice is a process of humility - asking admits that "I don't have all the answers."
Prosperity and planning. Who do you depend on when planning? What defines your prosperity?
Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell
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