The Way It Was Meant To Be

[Rick-Parker]

Find the article here.

The Prosperity Gospel teachers are right when they say that the Lord intended for us to live abundant lives. The problem is that these teachers have misrepresented the Lord's motives in making these promises to a point where although they themselves are personally awash in material wealth, their followers rank 2nd lowest of all American Christians in average income. (Source: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life2) The Lord intended for us to be financially secure so we'd be generous to a fault, not so we could amass personal fortunes at the expense of others.

But that's a story for another day. Our topic here is the way it was meant to be. In spite of current evidence to the contrary the Lord always intended for our lives to be much better than those of the pagan/secular world. I'll show you what I mean. Here are some of the things God had Moses tell the Israelites when He was preparing them for their life in the Promised Land,

If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land

[desi2007]

Thanks for sharing. I agree, amen.

[yesult]

Find the article here.

As you can see from Deut. 8:17-18, it's God who has supplied the seed. Within your circle of acquaintances there's someone in need. Sow generously to help meet that need and you'll reap accordingly. First there'll be the joy that comes from giving, followed by an increase in your store of seed. You may actually find that you've wound up with more at the end than you had at the start. Next you'll discover that you've begun a chain reaction. As long as you keep sowing the seed the Lord will keep increasing your supply so you can sow still more. This is what it means to be made rich in every way so you can be generous on every occasion. And as a special bonus, each time you sow you're also storing up treasure in Heaven that nothing can ever devalue. These are My Thoughts.

One of the problems with prosperity teaching is although they do encourage you to do the above, they mostly encourage you to give that 'seed' to them.

They also tell you that giving is all it takes to become prosperous and wealthy. Yet if that were true they could simply sow their own 'seed' and it would cycle enough times to fund the church themselves without them having to ask for money. It's garbage.

[Guest man]

And even while the entire world goes to hell in a hand basket, our generosity toward others will be matched by God's generosity toward us..........

Sow generously to help meet that need and you'll reap accordingly. First there'll be the joy that comes from giving, followed by an increase in your store of seed. You may actually find that you've wound up with more at the end than you had at the start. Next you'll discover that you've begun a chain reaction. As long as you keep sowing the seed the Lord will keep increasing your supply so you can sow still more.

While I have no doubt that the Lord does reward His children for their obedience, giving, with the expectation of receiving more in return is not the message that should be taught.

Giving only to receive, should not be our motive for generosity.

This kind of teaching only instills greed upon an individual.

[Rick-Parker]

While I have no doubt that the Lord does reward His children for their obedience, giving, with the expectation of receiving more in return is not the message that should be taught.

Giving only to receive, should not be our motive for generosity.

This kind of teaching only instills greed upon an individual.

I disagree with your last statement. God has given us in Scripture a principle that serves both as a warning and an encouragement. Galatians 6:7 teaches "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap." This is an unalterable law that affects everyone in every area of life. We reap what we sow, more than we sow and later than we sow. This principle applies to everyone, Christians and non-Christians. It is irrevocable, no escape either, for anyone. It is a law of life.

The fact that we reap what we sow is good news for those who sow good habits.

Jesus used the picture of a sprouting seed to show that when we allow God's Word to produce good things in us, the results multiply. Matthew 13:23 teaches "He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

But, unlike crops in the field which get harvested at about the same time each year, there is no regular timetable for the harvest of life. Some will reap quickly, others will take a long time. But the season of harvest will come. And by going the second mile now and giving more than is required we will reap rich rewards later.

What a comforting and assuring thought to those who faithfully labor under difficult and trying times. Faithfulness in such situations will produce a rich harvest in the future, for God always keeps his promises.

Edited July 12, 2009 by Parker1

[Guest man]

While I have no doubt that the Lord does reward His children for their obedience, giving, with the expectation of receiving more in return is not the message that should be taught.

Giving only to receive, should not be our motive for generosity.

This kind of teaching only instills greed upon an individual.

I disagree with your last statement. God has given us in Scripture a principle that serves both as a warning and an encouragement. Galatians 6:7 teaches "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap." This is an unalterable law that affects everyone in every area of life. We reap what we sow, more than we sow and later than we sow. This principle applies to everyone, Christians and non-Christians. It is irrevocable, no escape either, for anyone. It is a law of life.

The fact that we reap what we sow is good news for those who sow good habits.

Jesus used the picture of a sprouting seed to show that when we allow God's Word to produce good things in us, the results multiply. Matthew 13:23 teaches "He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

But, unlike crops in the field which get harvested at about the same time each year, there is no regular timetable for the harvest of life. Some will reap quickly, others will take a long time. But the season of harvest will come. And by going the second mile now and giving more than is required we will reap rich rewards later.

What a comforting and assuring thought to those who faithfully labor under difficult and trying times. Faithfulness in such situations will produce a rich harvest in the future, for God always keeps his promises.

God's rewards don't always come in the form of cash.

Matthew 19

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples,

[Rick-Parker]

I certainly am not teaching "Word of Faith" or "The Prosperity Gospel", but the gospel of "you reap what you sow". What I am talking about is not money or material things, but the rewards of an abundant life with Christ.