The Vow of Prosperity

Author: Yeap Chee Seng

3 They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will last forever.


Psalm 112:3(NLT)


Psalm 112 is a portrait of a godly man. According to the Bible, being godly and wealthy comes together. There is no place in the Bible where God promises poverty to those who trust and obey him. In other words, a poor christian is a contradiction in terms.





Some may ask, “How about Jesus? Wasn’t he poor when he walked on earth?”





Answer: The Bible records Jesus’s poverty only once and we need to read that in context.


9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.


2 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT)


The above verse tells us 2 things:


1. Jesus was poor at the Cross in order to make us rich.


2. Jesus was only poor at the Cross.



Let me provide further proof that Jesus was never poor when he walked on earth.



23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.


24 So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.


John 19:23-24 (NLT)


The Roman soldiers threw dice to get his robes. Why? They wanted to use it as rags? It couldn’t be for spiritual reasons. It could not be for sentimental reasons either. It must be very expensive. There can only be one reason Jesus wore expensive clothes. He wasn’t poor as the anti-faith groups claimed. As I mentioned earlier, the only place and time the Bible described Jesus as poor is at the Cross and the purpose of him being poor is to make us rich.


Not only that, Jesus has a treasurer, Judas. Judas had often helped himself with Jesus’s money. There must be quite a lot of it for Judas to find it worthwhile to serve Jesus.


Let us have another proof.


11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.


Matthew 2:11(NLT)


The above verse refers to the wise men from the East. They visited Jesus when he was about 2 years old. They gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Do you think these folks traveled all the way just to give Jesus a few pieces of gold? Of course not.


Based on the respect they had for Jesus, the amount of gold they brought must be proportional to their wealth.


The above verses should remove any suspicion that Jesus lived in poverty when he was not at the Cross.


“Does this mean every christian should be rich?”


Yes. The Bible is very clear on this. (You can refer to my book in this topic, available at http://www.lulu.com/content/1539251 )


There is no way to get around this. The idea of a poor christian is simply not Biblical.


“Then why are so many christians not rich?”


If God has guaranteed prosperity to us and we are not enjoying it, then it is clear that we have been robbed.


(I am referring to myself as well. At the time I am writing this, I do not have billions of dollars in net-worth.)


It is our responsibility to reclaim what is ours and demand compensation. I have written another article entitled “Its Payback Time!” available at http://cheee.wordpress.com/category/restoration/, focusing on getting our rights back and demanding compensation.


“How much should I ask God for?”


20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.


Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)


God is challenging us here. He is saying, whatever we ask for, he will do more. Sounds like he wants us to think big and ask for as much as we can think of.


Here is a practical guide:


Assuming that you want to have $10,000 per month to live the lifestyle you want. How much monthly income should you ask God for?


If you ask for less than $10,000 per month, you are insulting God. You think Ephesians 3:20 is a lie. You are calling God a liar.


If you ask for exactly $10,000 per month, you are being selfish. You only think for yourself. How about helping others? One of the characteristic of godly men and women is generosity.


9 They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.


They will have influence and honor.


Psalm 112:9(NLT)


You should also include the amount you want to give away. Assuming that you have decided to give away 90% of your income to help the poor, then you should ask God for $100,000 per month. Every month, out of the $100,000, you keep $10,000 for yourself and give the remaining $90,000 away.


“What if I want $1,000,000 instead?”


Then ask God for $10,000,000. Our God is generous. We don’t have to be selfish. Whatever we ask him for, he promised to give us more. Doesn’t this make you generous?


People are dying every day, from starvation and lack of basic medical care. They need help and we are in the best position to do so. Good intentions are not enough. Religious and faithless prayers are not enough. They need money. Cool, hard cash to deliver food, medicines, set up hospitals, schools, farms, water treatment plants and other aids to stop people from dying like flies everyday.


The poor cannot help the poor. Only the rich can.


God doesn’t want us just to sit here condemning the rich people for not doing enough. He wants us to be rich so that we can do what he has put in our hearts for us to do.


This is not the time to be selfish and religious. This is the time to be rich as God wants us to be. We are blessed to be a blessing. Are you ready to obey God today? Are you willing to be rich as God wants you to be? Are you ready to take up the Vow Of Prosperity?



Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/the-vow-of-prosperity-283803.html
About the Author


Yeap Chee Seng is currently working as a resident engineer. He owns a blog at

http://cheee.wordpress.com

focusing on faith, deliverance and prosperity. He has also written a book entitled “Bible Verses On Prosperity” available in www.lulu.com.