Sora did a number on the AI image this week. Hilarious. So I’m keeping it.
It seems as though we can answer the question: “Does God want me to be rich?” In the affirmative. However, the definition of “rich” matters. What is your definition of prosperity? What is God’s? Are they the same?
“3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,
4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,
5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain,
7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:3-10, ESV)
Make sure you really read these verses. We can think that we understand God and prosperity. But Paul gives us a truth; the more we think God agrees with us, the less we understand. There are many teachings on prosperity. Some of them are more biblical than others. In verse 5 is where Paul makes a clear statement. The goal of pursuing God is not the gaining of prosperity. “Godliness,” or seeking to live according to Biblical principles is important, but so is our motivation for doing so. Intention matters.
Before we go any further, let’s all make an admission right now. You and I are doing this together, it’s ok. When you saw that God wanted you to be rich, you got really excited. Because, like me, you have a secret. You probably love money a lot. Naturally, I do too. How do I know? In my experience, when many people hear the term “prosperity” their first thought is money. When you saw this book title, you probably didn’t think that it was about the vow of prosperity related to your emotional, mental, or spiritual state. Some people don’t even like the word prosperity. Because it makes them think about money. If we’re not careful, we can begin to see following Jesus as a means to an end. Proverbs 10 tells us that the blessing of the Lord makes us rich. But that does not mean that the purpose of seeking God’s blessing should be wealth.
In verse 6, Paul says “godliness with contentment is great gain.” The word for contentment there is the greek word αὐτάρκεια (autarkeia). That word means: having enough of everything, not requiring support. Other translations use the word sufficient. This word is only used twice in the entire New Testament. Once by Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:8, and once here. Remember 2 Corinthians 9:8? That’s where we got our primary definition for prosperity. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
Prosperity - I have everything I need, and I have enough to meet other people’s needs.
Don’t just read this, pay attention to it. Sometimes when we read the word “need” we confuse that with “want.” Biblical prosperity is not having everything you want. It starts with having everything you need. Then, you have enough to meet other people’s needs. Need. Not want. There’s a big difference when we think about that. Let me ask you another question. How broad is your definition of wealth? When God talks about prosperity, sometimes He talks about money. But much of the time - as in Paul’s case - He’s talking about everything. Not just one thing. In his book The Five Types of Wealth, Sahil Bloom describes five key components of wealth: time, social, mental, physical, and financial. I would also add spirituality as a kind of wealth. Think about your life in the context of these things. These forms of wealth are meant to work together to form a prosperous life. When God is talking about having what you need, and enough to meet other people’s needs, do you have that in all five of these areas? To have true prosperity means that we have a balanced approach to life that gives us wealth in every area of our life. When we look at wealth, do we view it the same way as God? Or do we merely see wealth in financial terms?