God's will for your life, for my life, and for all the people in the world is that we may all have an abundant level of life.
The word for 'life' used in this passage is 'zoe', which refers to divine life. God wants you firstly to have an abundance of divine life. That's one reason why He so much desires that you be "full of the Holy Spirit" (1), "praying always" (2), with "the Word of Christ dwelling richly in you" (3). He just wants you to enjoy Him. Not only that, He wants all people everywhere to enjoy Him. That's His will, and He has a plan to accomplish that will and purpose. One of the keys to prosperity is to link up your will, your desires, and your plans with God's! But for now, remember, that the level of God's provision in divine life is abundant.
Its so enjoyable to be full of God's Holy Spirit. Paul the apostle wrote so much about the "joy" of the Lord! Joy is a form of spiritual prosperity, and you can have it directly from God whether you have material abundance or great hardship. God wants us to have this joy, but remember, he wants that joy to go "to the world" through the gospel. Acts chapter 8 records that when Philip preached Christ in Samaria many signs and wonders were done, and there was great joy in the city.
The question at issue in the minds of many is whether God wants us to enjoy material prosperity. I will seek to answer this question in terms of what the Word of God teaches.
God Wants Us to Prosper to the Extent that Our Souls Prosper
The apostle John, known for his closeness to the heart of God, wrote, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prosper" (3 John 2). He then want on to describe some of the good works Gaius was doing for the Lord's evangelists and fellow workers. Gaius could not have done much here had he been homeless, or poverty stricken.
Now this verse shows that God wants us to prosper in all things. John would not pray for something that was not the will of God. He prayed for Gaius because it was God's will that he prosper. And not Gaius only, for it is a general truth that "the Lord takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servant" (Psalm 35:27).
The key to prosperity is the state of the soul. God wants us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). If our minds are carnal, our desires wicked then its true that prosperity would not do us much good. "The wages of the wicked are spent on sin", the Book of Proverbs says, but the labor of the righteous leads to life.
If our minds are sufficiently renewed then it is definitely in God's interest to prosper us in all things, including material things. There is a purpose! However, many times we flatter ourselves that we have God's perspective on things when we really lack it. We need to go after God's wisdom if we are to prosper - that includes the gaining of both spiritual and natural knowledge and applying ourselves diligently to our work, whatever God has given us to do. We need to learn to obey the Holy Spirit concerning our money - what to do with it. I don't believe that tithing in itself, for example, is a guarantee that God will pour money on us. It certainly provides a necessary measure of proetction. However, it is to the extent that we seek God for wisdom, and live righteously according to His kingdom principles that God will cause material prosperity to come upon us, and "all these things will be added unto us" (Matthew 6:33). Concerning "wisdom", let us not forget that "he who is wise wins souls" (Proverbs 11:30). May God give us all more of that wisdom. This is the one thing I would urge every Christian to participate in, in as many ways as possible.
We may have to get rid of traditional religious thinking that would say that poverty is a blessing, in order for God to fully renew our minds in the area of divine abundance. God's level of provision is abundance, so that we can be generous on every occasion (see 2 Corinthians 9:8). May God deliver us from hypocritical teachings on the blessing of poverty and such. Poverty in the Old Testament was considered part of the curse of the law (Deuteronomy 28:15ff) and as long as we are generous towards God (VERY IMPORTANT), God is pleased to entrust us with the resources necessary not only for our own lives, but also to be involved in the spread of His Kingdom in the world. The Bible says that in Christ we have been redeemed from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13,14). Its God's will for us to enjoy freedom from the curse. Sometimes we have to fight to be strong in faith in these areas, because establishing the Kingdom involves a spiritual struggle. But let us not give in from the start by accepting unbiblical but pious sounding notions concerning poverty and riches.
In questions about prosperity, it is really important for us in all this to keep in mind who God is, His nature, and his purpose.
The Nature of God
Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father". As Christians, we have a good Father, who loves us. Let's always remember that. In the natural, you may have had a father who was not so good to you, but what counts for you as a believer is that first and foremost God is your father. Thank God for all the good earthly fathers that exist too! But, even if you could imagine the most wonderful earthly father, who was so interested and desirous that their child would be loved, do well, develop and achieve wonderful things - and was also capable of helping that child significantly - that father would not compare to Our Heavenly Father, if only you knew it. God causes all things to work together for good for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Does that include you? Well it can be you, if you respond to God's love and call. I'm sure most of my readers would want to do that.
God is generous. There's more than enough resources on this planet for everyone. Its the evil systems of men that mean that so many live in poverty. Note the connection between those words - "evil" and "poverty". When God made the world, Adam and Eve had an abundance to enjoy. The new earth similarly, will be an abundant source of blessing for its inhabitants. In the time in between, there is a battle for the rule of God's Kingdom. This is where we live, and if we harmonise with God's purposes and seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, we are going to find that material abundance starts to come after us in ever increasing measure.
Consider how rich God made some of His servants. The Bible said of Abram that he was "very rich". King David gave tens of millions of dollars worth of gold out of his personal fortune to the construction of the temple. Most people know that Solomon was even more wealthy than David. Joseph, Job, Esther, Hezekiah and many more were all remarkably wealthy people. The Bible says that. How can we reconcile these Bible facts with a view of God which sees Him as stingy and mean. It can't be done.
The Purpose of God
What is the purpose of God? The Bible says that "for whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren". God's purpose is to have many sons like Jesus! We all have our unique personalities and differences, and that is a blessing of God. God does not intend to obliterate our personalities or differences. Yet God wants all to have the nature, purpose and character of Jesus. Its even plainly declared that God wants believers to do the works of Jesus, and greater, but that is another subject! (see John 14:12).
God wanted so much to rescue people from the dominion of Satan that He gave the best He had - His only begotten Son. He did not send an angel or just another prophet, but His dear Son - part of Himself really. God gave His best. If we are to imitate God, as Ephesians 5:1 instructs us to do, we also ought to give our best. But what should we give to? We should give to God's purposes. And what is God's purpose? God's purpose is "that none should perish, but all should come to a knowledge of the truth". God's purpose is that His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth, as it is in heaven! God wants people to be saved. Jesus gave His blood for that! God poured out the Holy Spirit for that. The church exists on earth today, for that. If all God wanted was a few chosen ones to talk with all day, He would take all His children to heaven now and damn the world. But He's not like that. Aren't you glad that God waited long enough for you to get saved?
So Where Does Material Prosperity Fit into This?
I don't fully know why, but God has limited His own operations on earth according to the measure of co-operation He willingly receives from people on earth. Nothing good happens without prayer, without asking God to get involved with things on the earth, and nothing good happens without obedience - without people doing what God is telling them to do. God could only establish a plan of redemption because He found a man, Abram, who was willing to hear Him and do what He said - even to the point of offering up his own Son as an offering. And because of the blood covenant God made with Abraham, anything Abraham was willing to do for God, like that, God had to be willing to do for Abraham's descendants too. That is one reason why God did give His Son to die as an offering for us. You see, even in that, God had a man who by his faith and obedience opened the door for God to move.
Can God trust you with money? He can't trust all that many people. The reason is, many Christians, whether they are rich or poor, trust in the money they have now more than in God's ability to provide for them and the ministry they have to do for Him in the future. We are told NOT to trust in riches. Paul told Timothy, "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy." (1 Timothy 6:17). Its easy when you get some money to t
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