Key To Prosperity

I have made many trips around the world, traveled extensively through 157 countries, studied most of the large cities of the world. I have been amazed at the worlds great buildings such as the Taj Mahal in India built by a Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his dead wife. The greatness of Windsor Castle in England, the York Cathedral, the beauty of Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, St. John the Divine in New York City, and even the capital of the great state of Texas. The difference in the building in a Cathedral, Church or Temple is that believers have given with faith. A national monument is usually built with taxes. Great homes and many landmarks are usually built with private funds from hard working individuals.

At one time, I was active in a great church. Magnificent beyond words to describe. Built by the free will giving of dedicated believers. The great pastor would say, “If I tell my people to jump in the fire I will smell clothes burning. If I tell my people to jump into the river I will hear water splash.” I thought this was great at the time but since realized he had enough ego to actually believe the members of that church gave, because of him, not as “unto God.” Another great radio preacher, who I enjoyed listening to, simply because of his brilliant mind, would always take up two offerings at each service. And his large congregation would clap their hands before each offering. He preached money more than anything else. He actually preached and I sincerely believed that he believed, that one would go to hell if not a tither. He preached over and over, that your surest form of worship is in giving of your means, giving all the tithes first fruits etc. I don't know how much was given at that church each week. But they gave many millions each year. All checks were made payable to the Pastor because it was his belief that the church members were responsible to him and he was responsible to God. I have heard him say, “It is my business if I take your money in my airplane and dump it into the ocean.” There are about as many far fetched ideas in giving to God as in many other denominational issues.

Jesus preached more on giving than anything else. Of his twenty-nine parables, sixteen are on giving. I truly believe you cannot out give God. I truly believe that you can give without loving but you cannot love without giving. I truly believe it is a personal matter, between you and God. I can say, without fear of contradiction, that the key to prosperity is giving. If a man is right with his giving, right with his pocket book, he is probably right about everything else.

The plan for Christian giving is given in Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9) You can be sure that God will direct you in your giving as well as your living if you have enough trust to do so. (Philippians 2:13). Faith is a verb and I truly believe that 90% of faith is just raw courage. Faith is action, based on belief sustained by confidence. We must have confidence in Him knowing that it is not law that dictates our giving but our trust in the Sovereignty of God. He knows our needs more than we do. And He knows how much He can trust us.

The children of Israel had been in slavery for over 400 years. They saw with their own eyes the deliverance of God. Leaving houses provided by their slave masters they dwelled in tents and these two and a half million people were forced to depend solely on God for their welfare. Almost immediately, slavery did not seem so harsh and they longed for the “cucumbers and melons” of Egypt. Almost immediately, their unbelief was shown in the worship of a gold calf. God has perfect accounting books, a perfect calculator. Because of their unbelief they died in the desert after wondering for 40 years, although at one time, they were within a short distance of the promised land. Look in the mirror and find the key to your prosperity!

God does not need our money. For every beast of the forest [is] mine, [and] the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field [are] mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world [is] mine, and the fullness thereof. (Psalms 50:10-13) I am as convinced about my attitude of giving as I am convinced of my salvation that God expects us as Christians to happily give for His work. My greatest joy is to return to God most of what He has generously given to me. I truly believe that ten percent is the bare minimum. If it were required in the Old Testament, under law, surely we can do much better with grace. I am responsible to God for every penny I spend. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, at Christmas, so intent on not spending one dime more than necessary to greet the churches throughout the world, on his Christmas telegram just had one word, “others.” I do not give to lazy people, I do not give to organizations that do not spend wisely and honor God fully. (United Way, Red Cross, etc)

The Christian does not waste anything. Even Christ, fed the thousands from a small boys lunch which a loving mother had prepared for a small hungry boy, had His followers to pick up the baskets of scraps. In this day of credit cards when usury laws do not apply when you can be charged as much as 30% interest, I cannot imagine blood-bought, baptized, redeemed believers falling into satans clutches with death and buying things which you can easily live without. Your government, your banks, are intent on enslaving you. Through credit cards, mortgages and the greedy tax pickpocket ,many of you have voted for your enslavement.

Christians are taught that we are a new creation, we are the light and salt of the world. We are different from the world, different in our living, our giving, our saving, and even our spending. You can never invest what you have spent. Pennies make dollars and dollars take care of themselves, if you invest wisely. Don't mind the heathen calling you tight or frugal. We grow the plants to manufacture the paper and ink for our fiat paper currency. Out of thin air, the federal reserve takes this money and makes us greedy over it. There is nothing more dirty on God's earth than money. Paper bills, after being in circulation for some time have about every disease known to man on them. Yet, men will lie, cheat, and steal for dirty money. But, if the entire crust of the earth were gold, men would lie, cheat, and steal for a handful of dirt.

The key to our prosperity is in the control of our working, saving, spending and giving. Life is more than what we possess. God only had to say it one time, “love of money is the root of all evil.”(1 Timothy 6:10) I understand Mr. Madoff's office where he robbed his customers of sixty-five billion dollars was called the North Pole because it was white with cocaine powder and elicit sex. Mr. Madoff is now in prison like so many of his fellows who are consumed with greed. You can be sure of this, he will leave this world with empty hands, so did his associate Mr. Picower. So has every other tyrant of greed who had a false sense of prosperity. Remember, it is not what you have but what God has for you.