God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. (Ps 67:1-2)
Prosperity isn't an indication that someone is more intelligent or hard-working than others, but whom the Lord of the universe bestows his mercy and favor in a given season for a purpose. The Psalmist prayed: "God be merciful unto us:"the next words are: "And bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us." There is a connection between God's mercy and his blessings/favor; when the Lord of the universe shows mercy on anyone, he blesses and showers his favor on the individual.
So many people all over the world seek God's mercy, favor and blessings daily. The unfortunate situation is that, in most cases, when the blessings come, they forget where God took them from and some of the pledges they made in their hearts during the process of entreating God for mercy. In fact, few bother about God's intention for blessing them, despite their faults.
The above situation is the reason the prosperity of millions around the world hasn't translated into any meaningful transformation and impact on earth beyond themselves. The individual who made several promises to God; “God if you bless me, I'll advance your cause,” becomes the most insensitive person to God's cause when the blessings come.
Listen! Prosperity should go along with a burden (responsibility, vision, compassion). The Psalmist said it all: After entreating God for mercy, blessings and favor, the last line of our Biblical text reveals the true burden of prosperity. “That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.”
That is it! That is the purpose of prosperity: (To contribute to the cause of making known God’s way upon the earth and his saving health among all nations). This can be done directly or indirectly; directly, through one’s outreaches to the nations or indirectly, by partnering with a vision for the nations. The purpose of prosperity is two fold
i) Contributing to the cause of ensuring that the Earth and everything in it align to God’s principles
ii) Participating and contributing to the cause of bringing God's saving health to all nations in all areas
These are the last things that come to most minds after God bestows his blessings on them. In fact, in most cases, people indulge in unnecessary competition and a wasteful lifestyle; forgetting where they came from. Some in strategic Government positions, instead of thinking of the difference they can make, they focus more on how to embezzle funds for self aggrandizement.
What of the clergy, who spent years asking the Lord for mercy, blessings and favor to reach nations. When the blessings come; the state of the earth and of the nations takes an insignificant place. The focus shifts to living a highly expensive lifestyle; fleets of cars; huge bank accounts, highly expensive holidays costing several thousands of dollars, replaces the passion to impact lives, etc.
Some say; “don’t criticize me until you know what I've gone through.” It’s not all about what you went through MOG/WOG; it’s all about God’s mercy and favor intended for the nations through you; not for self aggrandizement. Modesty is good in all things; we can change the world, if we become modest in all we do.
I watched a video of African girls prostituting in the streets of Italy, Greece, Spain, etc. That's a slap on the faces of all our so-called billionaire politicians, businessmen and preachers in Africa. I know some may say; " they are doing their best." Listen! The fact that these negative vices are on a rise it's a sign that our good isn't good enough.
All over the world, the cries of humanity is great. What justification is it for someone to live extravagantly, with the state of things globally? We can say what we want and justify ourselves the best way we can, but one of these days, we all, will face the one who sent us here and gave us all we have for reckoning. I think, we all need to do some soul searching! DrBenard Etta
