Prosperity!!

Deuteronomy 30:9 reads, 

"The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous... For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, "

We have become hypersensitive and develop an anaphylactic reaction to anything that has the word "prosperous." It makes sense because so many "preachers" misuse and abuse the Bible to make it about us. What are we to make of passages like this?

The initial knee-jerk answer is to say, "Well. That's Old Testament. God doesn't act like that anymore." That's not a bad answer, but it isn't the full answer. 

What is "prosperity" mean? The false teachers today would tell you it is riches, health, wealth, etc. But is that what God meant? Is that what we see in the Old Testament? Is that how God defined it? Not at all. Look at how it is used in Joshua 1:8, a verse known to many in the "prosperity gospel" circle:

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

In context of the passage, God is sending Joshua on a mission. Thus, this "prosperity" and "good success" is linked directly to fulfilling what God has called us to be. It is to prosper and succeed in God's calling for our lives. This is very different from God "prospering" me in my own dreams and ambition like the false preachers teach!

How do we get God to prosper us then? 

Well, Joshua 1:8 says, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you be careful to do according to all that is written in it." 

Let's go back to Deuteronomy 30:

8 And you shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, 10 when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Are you seeing the connection? The qualifier? The command? From just those two passages (among many, many others)... we've learned:

• The Book of the Law shall not depart from our mouth
• We are to meditate on God's word day and night
• We are to carefully do according to what is written
• We are to obey the voice of the Lord
• We are to keep all His commandments
• Prosperity comes when we obey the voice of the Lord and keep His commandments and statutes
• We are to turn to the Lord our God with all our heart and all our soul

It is only then that God prospers us! In fact, He will "take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers"! Wow! Not only does God prosper us because He promised, but He takes delight! This is significant because God is only "obligated" to keep His end of the covenant. Here in these passages, we see that God delights to prosper us! It is the joy of the Father to see His children succeed! Every good father wants that. 

1. What is the biblical calling that God has placed on your life? (not your dream job/American dream, etc)
2. Are you walking in obedience to His Word?