Godly Stewardship, Not a Prosperity Gospel
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth (3 John 2).
Very important to a woman whose heart has been transformed, is not to be associated with any other gospel than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is one of the reasons why some believers think talking about money is evil and carnal minded. But money, itself is not evil. It is a tool of exchange in our economic society. You go to work for a company who values your services over the money they pay you; and you in turn get a check because you value the money over the time and energy put to the work. You take your money to the grocery store to buy food which you value over the money you spent on it. You can’t eat money (smile). All of these things can be done in ways that demonstrate a healthy and balanced approach to money- even a godly stewardship.
Statistics say, however, most people don’t fare well when it comes to money. Credit card usage is high with interest rates commonly near 30%, student loan debts is well over a trillion dollars in the US, and most people accept mortgages and debt as normal parts of life. You likely have fallen victim to some of these; just like a whole bunch of us have. One day you graduated from school, got a job, and was expected to all of a sudden just know what to do. Credit seemed like a natural way to fill the gap. And now, you feel burdened, lonely, and ashamed. Even though logically you know you can’t be the only one in this situation; it’s not something people talk about in a personal way. It’s not good etiquette- it seems. You’re not the only one- in your church, in your family, in your
circle of friends; but it feels that way.
You hear about fixing your finances, getting out of debt, and/or building wealth via some YouTube video, a Facebook add or post, etc., but you still haven’t taken any action. Part of you feels like to be concerned about your money situation means you are carnal minded and don’t trust God.
Another part of you knows there’s something wrong with the wide-spread prosperity gospel. You know a person’s wealth is not a reflection of their nearness to God; that God does not owe you; or that God can be summoned to attend to our wants and desires. You know gain is not godliness (1 Timothy 6:6). The whole thing is off-putting in some way. But, because it’s mixed with scripture, it slips in so easily. I know. It seems natural that our Heavenly Father would want and provide the best for His children. But though there are many dozens of scriptures about money; prosperity is not the good news. It is no good to prosper financially, materially, status-wise, health-wise; and not prosper soul-wise; to gain the whole world and lose one’s soul.
The Good News is the Gospel of Jesus Christ- His life, death, resurrection, and all He has done to redeem our souls from a deserving hell. The good news is that Jesus Christ has prospered our souls. Praise God!
And you have a responsibility to act in gratitude. You cannot choose to continue in the same way. That does not show how beautiful and great God is. Jesus requires you to be a wise steward, to be found faithful, to seek wise counsel, and to glorify Him in all aspects of life. The blessing is, The Word of God provides help for your financial mess. And there are people of God, who can help you along the way; people who have been where you are. You don’t have to do this alone! So, whether me or someone else you know or trust, get the support you need. Get that heavy burden off your heart, by getting help, today.
