Blessings
How have you been keeping? Well, I hope. I am well, in fact very blessed; however I crave prayers for some friends who are currently in the Valley of Shadows. Not a very easy place to be during Advent. Advent also begins during the 16 days of activism to end gender based violence. There are several ways to get involved … be the difference in someone’s life!
Here’s today’s Holy Nougat
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.” 3 John 1:2 (amp)
A very interesting morsel in this Advent season. We have all been exposed to the Prosperity Gospel bandied about by many preachers (well most of us at any rate). And, for many, the basis of the argument is found right here. I am a prosperity advocate myself. Though I suspect that my understanding of prosperity might differ slightly from popular opinion.
In its origins, prosperity concerns doing well ‘properly’ or doing well along (a) life’s journey. In light of this definition, we ought to all prosper. I sincerely believe that part of the premise of Jesus’s John 10 proclamation is for each of us to enjoy a better life. It is also the core of the Beatitudes … God’s Blessing Plan. And even a glance at those “Blessed are the …” verses (see Matthew 5), should be enough to convince us that godly prosperity is firstly about our successful travel in life’s journey – overcoming the hurdles through God’s grace. (This is truly what God’s shalom entails!)
Do you know persons who cheer you up while on the bed of affliction? Or those who are givers, despite them having fairly limited resources themselves. Perhaps we’ve been drawn to persons (or been challenged by them) who are cheerful regardless of the foment in their, or their loved ones’ lives? Those persons have probably found the source of true prosperity! Granted, prosperity may also include material success, but then, I contend that we are then blessed to bless others. Otherwise, we have failed to truly love and live in God’s abundance.
My prayer for each of us today is that we may prosper – in all aspects of our lives – even as we seek to be agents of birthing abundance in the lives of others. It may be a smile, a prayer for someone in need of comforting, working assiduously for the liberation of others, sharing with a stranger or even helping someone cross the street … let us resolve to birth life in fulness for others as we live in God’s abundant Blessing Plan.
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
