Fullness of Life

Proverbs 21:21 "Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honour.

In this phrase from Proverbs most of us would agree that the righteous results of love, life and honour,  but what does the writer mean by prosperity? The Hebrew word from which translators come up with the word prosperity, has a a number of meanings such as abundance, riches, honour, splendour, glory, of external condition and circumstances

Regrettably, a number of well known evangelists have promoted what has become known as the “prosperity gospel”, defined as, “…a religious belief among some Charismatic Christians that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one's material wealth.” But at the heart of God’s Kingdom Economy, prosperity has quite a different nuance. 

Biblical prosperity, is a state of total wellbeing. It is a condition of having an all-round peace. Prosperity is to be complete in Christ. Money alone is not prosperity. Someone can have money but If they do not have good health to enjoy their money, it will be utterly meaningless to them.  

In his book, Balancing the Tightrope, Barry Powell relates that in a survey of over 200,000 undergraduates, 76% listed financial prosperity as the most important of their life goals. Is it any wonder that one of the top issues in almost every political election is the economy? What has it come to when our top voting priority is our buying power? Even more important than crime, foreign policy or moral values. You see, like the prodigal son, we can buy into this world’s mind set and make the same mistake he did: that life really does consist in the things that we possess. 

One writer suggests that if you are asked how rich you are, tell them to look inside your heart, for love makes you the richest person in the world, no matter how poor you are. Inner riches supersede outer riches. If you have money, you are affluent; if you have joy, you are wealthy; and if you have love, you are rich.”

Lord of true riches, I desire to be truly rich in grace and mercy rather than in material things.  Help me to always keep the proper priorities in life and to be purified in all of my desires.