Thoughts of the Season

Sean wanted me to post a few paragraphs from an article he recently read. I feel like this article is so appropriate, not only for the holiday season, but for all throughout the year. . .

It’s important that we recognize God as the ultimate Owner of all things and break out of the myopic mindset that allows us to focus solely on our own needs, wants or obsessions. Sounds pretty simple to me. But not according to some. For those who subscribe to the prosperity gospel, the Bible gives clear evidence of God’s plan to make those He loves truly rich. Like all lies, there’s a hint of truth in it, and precedent has paved the way with the likes of biblical heroes such as Abraham, Joseph and David—great men of God who also found themselves on the receiving end of a swollen bank balance. But if we think their story ends there, we deceive ourselves. If we roll over and give in to the theory that God will reward our faith with financial bounty, we become just another set of narrow-minded, self-obsessed believers. We see relationship with God as the path along which we must travel toward the prize of material reward—not the reward itself.

In Hebrew, the Old Testament uses a few words for the poor: anaw, ani, dal, ebyon, and ras. Between them, they define some fairly specific circumstances, like someone who is wrongfully impoverished or dispossessed; a beggar imploring charity; or a thin, weak, deprived peasant. By the time we get to the New Testament, the main word used for the poor is ptochos, meaning someone who is completely destitute and must take help from others. Ptochos is the Greek equivalent of ani or dal, which allows us to say that the main definition of the poor throughout Scripture relates to being of low economic status, usually due to some form of disaster or oppression. So if not having money is a concern to God, doesn’t logic dictate that those under His care should have it in abundance? Unfortunately, His plans are a tad more radical than this idea of rich Christians and poor heathens.

For more of this article visit this link: The Consequences of Prosperity