God’s 3 purposes for prospering you (1)

This man’s elder brother was greedy. Jesus went on to illustrate the meaning of greed in a parable: 16And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my […]

This man’s elder brother was greedy. Jesus went on to illustrate the meaning of greed in a parable:

16And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?  21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

What matters most

“…for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” What does Jesus mean by this?

•    Don’t value yourself only by the material things you possess.

•    You are more valuable than material things. The value of a thing is determined by the price paid for it. You cost the blood of Jesus; the life of the Son of God. In the sight of God, you are worth the value God places on himself.

•    You are loaded with spiritual, mental, intellectual and social assets.

•    You have natural abilities that can be translated into money. You can create what you don’t have if you know how.

The farm of a certain rich man brought forth an abundant harvest but he completely forgot to acknowledge God by giving Him thanks, paying his tithe and helping others. He laid it up for himself and was not rich towards God. When God blesses you, do not succumb to the temptation of keeping it all for yourself.

Life lessons

•    It is not what you have that matters but what you do with it. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance he possesses but what he does with it.

•    Money is not meant for hoarding.

•    Your soul is more valuable than money. In fact, no amount of money can buy your soul.

•    Money should not be your god. The keeper of your soul should be given first place in spending whatever you acquire. Matt 6:24 “24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

•    To preserve and increase what you have, surrender it to God.

God’s 3 purposes for blessing you

Why then does God bless you? God blesses you for Himself, yourself and for others.

1.    God blesses you for Himself. I am talking of promotion of kingdom interest. What should this young man have done? Pro 3:9-10 “9Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” How do you honour the Lord with your substance? Acknowledge Him as your source by paying your tithe first, and asking him what to do with the rest. Matt. 6:33, “But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”

The deeper your interest in the kingdom, (expansion of the kingdom), the more kingdom treasures are released to you. This is what the young man in this story did not understand; he was not rich towards God. God owns you and everything you have. God’s primary reason for blessing you is so that His Kingdom on earth can expand.

The reward

•    Answered prayers. John 15:16.

•    Divine wisdom for success in business and life. Illumination.

•    A hundred fold return. You are expected to tithe and give generously towards the propagation of the gospel.

Mark 10:29-30; “29Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land–whatever–because of me and the Message 30 will lose out…And then the bonus of eternal life!”

•    Divine favour and connection particularly with influential people.

•    Guarantee of eternal life

Why do people fail to put God first in their finances?

The answer is in verse 28. Jesus said, o ye of little faith. In verse 32 He said, fear not. Fear is rooted in unbelief that God may not keep His promise. You hold onto what you have because you are afraid you may not get a harvest as God promised. You don’t believe what He said will work for you.

Make the kingdom of God your primary concern and you will not have to struggle again. Rom 10:14-17, sending the preacher, spreading the gospel cost money and it is designed to come through the church. The unbelievers spend their money on their fancy: sports, entertainments, movies, music alcohol, expensive lifestyle etc. They desire money only for these things. For the believer, money should be a tool for achieving God’s purpose. (To be continued)

Rev (Dr) Olowojoba is the Snr. Pastor of  Dayspring Bible Church, Sabon-Lugbe, Abuja  & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries International. e.mail: [email protected]