Sin and Prosperity

I think it is inherent in our human nature to want more. It is the major issue facing us today in our American society. The desire for more has caused thousands to lose their homes in the last year, to ruin their marriages and to harm to future generations through their selfish acts. We usually think that the grass is greener somewhere else, with something or someone else, but we fail to realize the grass us usually over a septic tank!!

I was reading yesterday in Proverbs 28 when this verse struck me: "He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." The truth of that simple verse is a great reminder for us.

We view prosperity through a lens. More, better, bigger. Those words define prosperity in our minds. But the kingdom of God is a kingdom of upside down economics. To be rich, you must be poor in spirit. To be full you must empty yourself. To prosper, you must humble yourself before God. All of these things play against the course of human nature.

Here's my question: are we seeking worldly wealth through worldly gain, or Godly wealth through spiritual renewal? Are we seeking our own prosperity at the cost of our souls?

I like everyone else desire to have more financial freedom and to be able to enjoy certain other things in life. But I desire more than anything else Godly freedom that money and possessions of this world can never buy.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in order to gain that which he can never lose." Jim Elliot