True Prosperity
Contrary to the popular teachings of prosperity preachers rampant on tv, radio and the bookshelves of most “christian” bookstores, here is John MacDuff (1818 – 1895) writing on true, Biblical prosperity from his sermon The Rainbow in the Clouds. May the Lord open our eyes to the true teachings of Holy Scripture and may we be granted discernment in what we allow to enter our minds, eyes and ears in most of so called “christian” teaching today…
“The Lord has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 35:27
What is “prosperity?” Is it threads of life weaved into a bright outcome? a full cup? ample riches? worldly applause? an unbroken circle? No, these are often a snare; received without gratitude; dimming the soul to its nobler destinies. Often spiritually it rather means God taking us by the hand into the lowly Valleys of Humiliation; leading us as He did his servant Job of old; out of his sheep, oxen, camels, health, wealth, children; in order that we may be brought before Him in the dust, and say, “Blessed be His holy name!”
Yes! The very reverse of what is known in the world as Prosperity (generally) forms the background on which the Rainbow of Promise is seen. God smiles on us through these rainbows and teardrops of sorrows! He loves us too well. He has too great an interest in our spiritual welfare to permit us to live on in what is misnamed “Prosperity.” When He sees duties languidly performed, or coldly neglected; the heart deadened, and love to Himself congealed by the absorbing power of the present world, He puts a thorn in our nest to drive us to the wing, and prevent our being grovelers forever!I may not be able now to understand the mystery of these dealings. I may be asking through the tears, “Why this unkind arrest on my earthly happiness? Why so premature a lopping of my boughs of promise? Such a speedy withering of my most cherished gourd?” The answer is plain. It is your soul’s prosperity He has in view. Believe it, your true Ebenezers will yet be raised close by your Zarephaths (the place of furnace).
His afflictions are no arbitrary appointments. There is righteous necessity in all He does. As He lays His chastening hand upon you, and leads you by ways you know not, and which you never would have chosen. He whispers the gentle accents in your ear, “Beloved I wish above all things that you would prosper, and be in health.”
Rest in the quiet consciousness that all is well. Murmur at nothing which brings you nearer His own loving Presence. Be thankful for your very cares, because you can confidently cast them all upon Him. He has your temporal and eternal “prosperity” too much at heart to appoint one superfluous pang, one needless stroke. Commit therefore, all that concerns you to His keeping, and leave it there.
Instead of being set apart to God, many so-called Christians have become too comfortable in our society. They’re willing to serve the Lord in their own way, but not if it costs them too much time or energy or if it conflicts with a favorite television program. They prefer to indulge in worldly pleasures to please themselves rather than give of themselves to please the Lord. Saint Augustine wrote, “Two cities have been formed by two loves; the earthy by the love of self, even to the contempt of God, the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord.” Many, sad to say, reside in the earthly city of self-love.
“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,” Romans 8:5-6
I believe that the Christian walk in the battle over sin is sorely misguided by an almost legalistic teaching within the American church today. We constantly hear that we should abstain from sin but never told the true remedy over sin’s power. Many Christians walk thinking the battle over sin is all up to them – and this leads only to failure. It’s not by fighting with our strength but by always looking to Christ. (Colossians 3:2) Yes, we are told to make war with sin (Matthew 5:29-30) but we must also take the full counsel of Scripture anytime we are given a command to act. Scripture is clear that we are unable to act alone but only by looking to Christ – for only in Him can we be victorious. Remember, our Lord tells us that “apart from Him we can do nothing” (John 15:5) and that must be our fighting motto. The directives and commands in Holy Scripture cannot be separated from this glorious truth! Oh how we all need to understand this and look upward and see Him there – our perfect spotless righteousness! The great unchangeable I AM.
I’ve been meditating much lately on the life of Christ – specifically how settled and perfect the gospel narratives of Christ’s life are. From the moment our Savior was born incarnate every moment of His life was sure. Nothing was in question – there was never a moment in reading any of the narratives that there might be an inkling of a moment of even the hint of failure. As I think about the life of Christ time and time again the leaders wanted to trap Him in a saying and to kill Him and time and time again with absolute surety the gospels tell us that He slipped out of their reach “because His time had not yet come”. There was no touching the King of kings.
There is no doubt that one of the most misunderstood things in the Christian life is prayer. What is it? How is it done? Do we actually hear from God when we pray? Does prayer itself have power? Are demons afraid of prayer? The list goes on. Dan Phillips over at Team Pyro has
“I am quite aware that when a man expresses such opinions as those I have just brought forward there are many ready to say, “He is no Churchman.” I hear such accusations unmoved. The day of judgment will show who were the true friends of the Church of England and who were not. I have learned in the last thirty-two years that if a clergyman leads a quiet life, lets alone the unconverted part of the world, and preaches so as to offend none and edify none, he will be called by many “a good Churchman.”



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