Part 21
You may have heard stories of people who are trying to make a “better life” – and they weight the pros and the cons of this change, they notice that it will decrease the quality of their emotional life but enhance the quality of their financial life. So, they decide that it’s a risk that they must take, because well, when you have money then you can make everything else work.
But after a few months or years, they realise that their marriage has broken down or they are divorced. They don’t have a good relationship with their children, or their children have become withdrawn and disrespectful, and the friends that they do have, if trouble should take them, they would be left standing alone. That is not the type of self-actualization that God wants for His people, that’s not prosperity in Christ.
God has his chosen people who He can and will make into billionaires, and cause them to have a peaceful and long life, while still serving Him wholeheartedly. It’s not impossible, but it’s just not the plan that God has for all His people. After all, not everyone can manage the process to get to the level of a billionaire and still be true to God, and not everyone can stay at the top of the ‘food chain’ and not become prideful.
So as children of God we need to put God at the highest place in our lives, put him at the beginning everything we do, so he can direct our paths. And whatever you do, do it as if you are doing it for the Lord, with a grateful heart, with kindness, joy, and thanksgiving.
In the book of 1 Peter 4, it speaks about spiritual gifts. If you are a teacher on low salary, teach your heart out because God is using you to do a great work. If you are a nurse who is in the fight to increase your wage and decrease the number of patients on your caseload. Care for your patients like there is no tomorrow because it is in doing your job well that you are being obedient and giving Glory to God.
Are you unemployed and giving service to the church by cleaning or ministering? Do the work in reverence to the Lord. And it is through this obedience and reverence that God will honour you and prosper you.
Are you the preacher/pastor/Church leader who is under verbal attack from the Church members? Preach until the power of the Lord comes down. It is in your obedience to God that revival will break out and your church will prosper. Because those who choose to kick against the stone shall be crushed by it.
Are you the Christian student who is been ridiculed for your faith? Remain obedient to the words of God and His strong hand will lead you through. Because in your obedience you will be taken places that you never thought you could go, you will be established in things that you could have never dreamt to do.
In final thoughts, let us again look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs2, using the Lord’s prayer.
The Lord’s prayer shows us how we as children of God are dependent on Him to fulfil all our needs. The prayer starts off with worship and recognition of God’s holiness. Because we should put him at the beginning of everything that we do.
Then we look to him to fulfil our needs:
Give us this day our daily bread – we look to him to fulfil our physiological needs.
Forgive our sins and we forgive those who sinned against us – we look to him for our needs of safety, love and belonging. If we live in animosity with those around us, we will continue to be unsafe. Look back at the Bible’s teaching on forgiveness, not only does it benefit you but also the person you have forgiven. Forgiving can bring harmony. In addition, when we sin, we are separated from the safety of God’s presence, and when God is not with us then evil can over power us.
Do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil – we look to him for our need of esteem. We depend on God for safety, both physical and spiritual and we trust in His strong hand to give us freedom and to establish us in a good place.
For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the Glory for ever and ever Amen – Self-actualization is only achieved in God. When we depend on Him and put our faith in Him we are called heirs to His throne and children of God. As such by His great power and for His glory when we are obedient children we will prosper in his kingdom.
Prosperity for the children of God comes through total obedience on God in all aspects of our lives. This prosperity is not defined by their financial stability but by the quality and fullness of their life in Christ.
- See part 1 of this devotional at the link What does it mean to prosper in the Lord? ↩︎
- If you wish to understand Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs better see page at link Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (simplypsychology.org) ↩︎
The Face Behind the Window 