Prosperity is having all you need to fulfill all that God has called you to do. By seeking the Lord we can prosper internally and when we apply His word in our life we prosper externally. The Earth and everything in it is His, so we ought to honor Him through stewardship of what He has given us to be blessed. God desires for his people to live well, and by his breath, he has empowered us to make the most of opportunities- planting seeds of right living, becoming like trees that will bear fruit in season.
Greed is defined as an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, and food. But it doesn’t stop there — we can selfishly desire fame, possessions, attention, compliments, and more. Jesus warns us to be on guard against greed and instead be generous with God’s gifts. The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, and everything we have is on loan from God.
Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.
Blessing is a benefit of the tithe, but obedience is the basis of the tithe!
Speaking on the third talk of our “Wait ‘Til I Get My Money Right” collection, Pastor Luke Barry shares a insightful message titled “God’s Money.” The tithe is an ageless biblical principle which teaches us to put God first in all that we do. God wants his people to flourish, through wholehearted obedience and a sincere application of his word to our perspective on genoursity, tithing, and financial stewarship.
Our generosity is a response to God’s generosity.As our current collection of talks, “Wait ‘Til I Get My Money Right,” comes to a close, Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. imparts timeless practical handles in his message titled “7 Laws to Become Wealthy”. Riches come from income spent on material possessions; however, true wealth is earned on account of wisdom and stewardship. In living wisely, we learn that money is a great tool and a terrible master. Godly living is good living, and our Father wants us to prosper in all things as He has given us all the tools necessary to advance His Kingdom.
Faith reminds us that God’s in control, and that we need to rely on Him to see us through, even when the path is unknown. He’s steady, and He’s ready, willing and able to sustain us through anything.
You can trust God with the money He’s given you because He’s the real owner of everything under the sun! He’s the ultimate source of our security. As 1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV) says, you shouldn’t put your hope in wealth, but instead, “hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
Jesus understood the tendency of money to dominate our lives. He made it clear that we cannot serve both money and God simultaneously (Matthew 6:24) and further pointed out that where we put our money determines where our hearts go (Matthew 6:21).
Our view of money and the way we relate to wealth can become an obstacle in our relationship with God or it can reflect our commitment to him.
Generosity is important because it breaks the hold that money has on us; it’s our way of saying, “God is more important in my life than money.” Jesus put it this way, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
That feels strange to us – we naturally tend to think that we will put our treasure where our heart already is. But Jesus reversed this, telling us that our hearts tend to follow our treasure, not lead it. Generosity, then, is a way that we bring our hearts closer to God.
We simply cannot be good and faithful stewards if sacrifice is not a part of our lives. Paul calls us in Romans 12:1 to be a “living sacrifice.” Jesus challenges every steward who wants to follow Him in Luke 9:23, “let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Each day, we are to lay down our wishes, our desires, our agenda, and our plans, asking God to align our hearts to his.
Stewardship means being faithful with God’s resources in whatever situation we’re in. We can be faithful stewards (or not) in the midst of debt. We can be faithful stewards (or not) in the midst of plenty. Faithfulness in stewardship is not so much about where we are financially, but more about being obedient with God’s resources in that situation.
Leviticus 27:30 (TLB) says, “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy.” And Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.”
By definition, tithing is the practice of giving 10% of your income as an offering.
Tithing isn’t for God’s benefit. He doesn’t need our money. Instead, tithing is meant for our benefit because sacrificing a portion of our income reminds us to rely on God to meet our needs.
Summary: During Paul’s second missionary journey to bring the gospel of Jesus to unreached regions of the Roman Empire, Paul helped to start a church in the city of Philippi. The people of this church became lifelong supporters of Paul and when they received word that Paul was imprisoned in Rome, they took up an offering to send to him as aid. One of their church members, Epaphroditus, was tasked with the mission to bring the offering to Paul and stay in Rome to help care for him. However, while he was there, Epaphroditus became sick and nearly died. Upon his recovery, Paul decided to send him back to the church in Philippi with a letter to thank the Philippians for their support and friendship. He also offers encouragement and takes the opportunity to challenge his friends in the midst of suffering.
Paul writes from his own experience, as one who continues to boldly announce that Jesus is Lord throughout his imprisonment. Paul’s desire is that the Philippians would become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. He urges them to stand firm in one spirit, striving together with one accord for the faith of the gospel – to be united in the same identity of servant leadership that Jesus modeled. Jesus did not grasp his high position, but rather humbled himself even to the point of death, for the sake of others.
Paul warns the church in Philippi to not live according to their desires, but to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, submitting their very will to God, that He may do good works through them. The underlying theme throughout Paul’s letter to the Philippians is joy. He encourages them to press on, that even in the face of persecution, they can rejoice with him in eager anticipation for the return of their Savior, Jesus the Messiah. We can rejoice in the Lord, even in the midst of suffering. We can press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.
