Prosperity in Everything You Do

Happy Sunday!

I hope you had a great week, and an enjoyable weekend.  This Lesson is from Brother Bob Yandian.  It's entitled, "Prosperity in Everything You Do". 

Prosperity in Everything You Do - Bro. Bob Yandian

Have you ever wondered why God made Heaven’s streets out of gold or built the foundations of the heavenly city out of diamonds, rubies and other precious gems?  The answer is so obvious that it is easily missed – in Heaven there is no place to cash in the gold or gems or to spend money, so why not use them for building materials!

However, on earth we can spend gold and it is God’s will that we have it to spend.  He wants us to be financially prosperous so that we can use our wealth to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ!

It is God’s ultimate will that our soul prospers and then, as God can trust us with His riches, our outward man will also prosper and walk in divine health (3 John 2).

God’s plan is not a get-rich-quick scheme, but that it is a growing process.  In this process we move from the good to the acceptable, and finally, to the perfect will of God by the renewing of our minds.  This growth is similar to the seeds which are sown into the ground and produce some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred-fold return (see Romans 12:2).

In Psalm 1, David tells us that, if we take delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night, whatsoever we do shall prosper.  Psalm 112:1, echoes this, “…blessed is the man that fears the Lord, that who delights greatly in his commandments.”  In verses 2-10, we find a commentary on this which elaborates the blessings that will come to this man who renews his mind with the Word.

The Blessings

The first blessing is found in verse two, “His descendants shall be mighty upon the earth …”  The point of this blessing is that financial prosperity is meaningless if your children are an ungodly generation who will squander your wealth.  Satan preys upon young people so that godly parents will have no one godly to inherit their wealth and blessings.  By patiently waiting to destroy the next generation, Satan can steal all that God has given us.  This is why it is imperative that we instruct our children in the Word of God!

The second blessing is found in verse three, “wealth and riches shall be in his house; and his righteousness endures forever.”  Notice that righteousness endures forever.  It is passed from generation to generation so that those who have the riches will also have the strength and abilities necessary to handle and keep them.

Verse four tells us of another part of prosperity. “Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.”  This “light in the darkness” is the guidance God gives us in Satan’s dark world.  This includes, what to do with our families, what to do in the affairs of life, as well as what to do with our finances.  The reason this man in verse four is prosperous is because he is a giver at heart.  The ultimate goal of prosperity is not self-gain, but to be able to be a giver to those in need.

This idea is carried into verse five. “A good man deals graciously and lends, he will guide his affairs with discretion.”  As God has graced you, you should grace others.  As God’s nature, which is of love and mercy, comes inside you, it should become your nature to reach out as He does and bless others no matter what they look like, live like, or act like.  You love them simply because it is your nature to love.

The word discretion means “judgment.”  Good judgment is another facet of prosperity.  This enables you to assess, evaluate, and judge the affairs of life so that you can maintain all the blessings God has given you.

Furthermore, when a believer remains in the Word and reaps God’s blessings, he becomes stable, and as verse six tells us, “Surely he will never be shaken…”  In the time of testing he will not be moved away from God’s Word.  Thus, he will be victorious.

This verse also says, “… the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.”  Prosperity encompasses the righteous man’s being remembered after he dies.  Because of his righteousness people will desire to understand what he had in life.  Because of this, he will leave an everlasting remembrance on this earth.

Whereas verse six was speaking of standing fast in times of testing, verse seven is telling of how to deal with evil tidings, “He will not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”  When calamity strikes, outward prosperity is of little consequence and often is impotent.  However, the key to overcoming calamity is to keep your heart fixed and steady on the Word of God.

Verse eight tells us about another benefit of prosperity – patience – when it says, “his heart is established, he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies.”  When you see your enemies prospering even though they are evil, you don’t go running after their way because your heart is established and fixed.  Then, when they fall, as they eventually will, you will still be moving on one step at a time because of the patience in your heart.

Verse nine reveals another secret of this man’s (and our) success, “He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor….”  It’s told to us again;  he is a giver!  This reiteration is used to emphasize the fact that we prosper when we are givers.

This verse goes on to say, “… his righteousness endures forever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.”  When a horn is exalted, it is turned so that it can catch the blessings that are poured from heaven.

The reaction of the unbeliever to this believer’s receiving all these blessings is graphically described in verse ten.  “The wicked will see it, and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth, and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish.”  It is God’s will that this prosperity grieve the wicked.  The ultimate purpose of a believer’s prosperity is to provoke the sinner to jealousy so that when his man-made schemes have failed, he sees God’s prosperity and wants it enough to turn from his own ways to God’s way!  - Bro. Bob Yandian

Love and prayers, Cynthia

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