Chances are, at some point or another, you’ve heard the question: “If there’s a God, why is there so much evil and injustice in the world?” I found myself in such a conversation with someone not long ago. As is common, the person I was speaking to pointed to world poverty and asked why God doesn’t do something to help the poor.
Although I didn’t say it aloud, I wondered, What does this person expect God to do—rain money down from the clouds? God is a good, loving God. It’s certainly not His will for people to live in poverty and go without having their basic needs met. And, because He’s God and has thought of everything, He already has a plan for meeting the world’s needs. It’s found in Deuteronomy 8:18: “It is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant” (New King James Version).
The covenant that God extended to the world isn’t only spiritual; it also includes material wealth, health, peace, and everything else He has to give. Of all the ways God could “establish His covenant” on the earth, He opted to use us—the body of Christ! What a privilege—and responsibility—we have to partner with Him in ministering to the world’s spiritual and material needs.
In Financial Stewardship, Andrew explains that “prosperity really isn’t for us. It’s so that we can be a blessing. It enables us to bless others.” The problem is that religion has taught the church that prosperity is evil and selfish and that we should avoid it at all costs if we want to be godly. This mindset accepts that poverty equals humility and godliness.
Those who believe this only want enough of God’s blessings to get by. They’re fine with just a little because they don’t want to be selfish. But 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” God wants us to abound to every good work. We can’t abound in helping others if we’re broke ourselves!
Viewing prosperity from a true biblical perspective, we’re selfish if we’re not abounding, because that means we aren’t able to give to others. According to Andrew’s teaching in Financial Stewardship, we need to start prospering so we can abound to every good work. This is why God wants us to prosper. He wants to bless us so that He can make us a blessing. We can’t bless others if we aren’t blessed.
If every Christian had the right attitude toward prosperity—understanding that prosperity isn’t selfish, but a blessing that God wants to get to us—I believe we could eradicate world hunger and poverty and send the Gospel around the globe. God’s not going to rain money down on people. He’s waiting for us to believe Him for prosperity so we, “having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
