WEALTH with PURPOSE (Joshua 1:8; Deuteronomy 8:18; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; 2 Corinthians 9:10-11; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 8:9)

EXPECTATIONS

The story is told of the new frontier family arriving at a small town in their covered wagon, and asking the old timer rocking on the porch, what type of people lived in the community. The elderly gentleman asked them, "Well, what type of people were there where you came from?". The head of the family spoke up and said, " the merchants were dishonest, there was a growing crime concern, you couldn't trust your neighbors, and generally, it wasn't a pleasant place to live, which is why we ventured out West". The older man responded, " Well, I think you're going to find the same type of situation here with the town and its people". The disgruntled travelers kept moving on. Later that day, another family arrived and asked the senior towns-person the same question about the area. He asked them the same question, "What kind of people and town did you come from?". The spokesperson replied, "Why it was wonderful. We had great neighbors, honest business people, and a great community to raise a family. It was hard to leave, but we had friends that ventured this way, and we wanted to take the adventure with our family to go out West". The wise old gentleman replied, "You're going to be really happy here. I expect you will find the people and community pretty much the same as where you came from. Welcome!".

The "moral" of this story is that people often see in others what's in themselves, and their expectations do not disappoint.

EXPERIENCE

If you have the perspective that Believers are not supposed to be wealthy; just barely get by; live from paycheck to paycheck; and are to not enjoy the benefits of wealth, but that somehow financial prosperity is evil, then, irrespective of the truth of scripture, you will not experience monetary gain or increased financial success. If, however, you believe that God, your Father, wants you to succeed financially, being blessed, and being a blessing, then you will have opened the "door" for material wealth and prosperity, to be part of your experience.

SUCCESS

If God, your Father did not want you to succeed in life, then He wouldn't have told you 'how to succeed':

Joshua 1:8

"This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success"

Depart - to leave its proper place

Meditate - to speak out loud to yourself; mutter over and over

Day and Night - all the time

Observe to Do - get the Word on the inside to control your actions/behavior!

You will make your way prosperous - it's God's word, but it's your mouth

You will have good success - that's a guarantee

PARAPHRASE:

"The proper place for God's word is in your mouth, and you shall never let God's word leave your mouth, but be constantly muttering and mumbling God's word all the time, because it will cause you to hear and do what He says, which will mean your choices and actions will produce positive results, and you will succeed at everything you do!"

It's true that God was speaking to Joshua about ruling a nation, and not money, specifically, but the principle of success, God's way, applies to every facet of life.

HIS PLAN, HIS PURPOSE

Deuteronomy 8:18

"...remember the Lord your God; for (it is) He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers..."

God wants wealth used for His plan and His purpose, but, referring to money, "...God...gives us richly [abundantly] all things to enjoy [(apolausis), 619, to take advantage of, and find pleasure in]" (1 Tim.6:17).

SOWING and REAPING

However, having wealth [and not it, having you], becomes the great opportunity to take the spiritual action of sowing [just like a seed], that measure of finances, to meet the needs of those desperately lacking. [Sow a Seed to meet a Need].

"That they [the rich Believers] do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute [this word addresses a willingness to give], willing to share [not just a willingness to give, but a willingness to make others a part, or sharers in, what you have] (1 Tim. 6:18).

There is a play on words, where the Rich are instructed to Be Rich, in giving, or good works, meaning, what actually produces 'good'. The true measure of 'riches', is the good that it produces.

HARVEST

But the financially rich haven't lost anything, because the seed they sow, in giving, causes them to accumulate more, for the same purpose, "Laying up in store" (apothesaurizo), 597, [where we get the word 'thesaurus' from, meaning a 'treasure' of abundance]. The giving, by the Rich, is simply accumulating more for them and producing "a good foundation" for future endeavors (1 Tim. 6:19).

In 2 Corinthians 9:10-11, the scripture says, "Now He that ministers seed to the sower both minister bread for (your) food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness, being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causes through us thanksgiving to God".

ENRICHED or RICH

The word translated "enriched", is a little bit misleading, because it doesn't convey the true import of the verse. The word is (ploutizo), 4148, and means, 'to make wealthy'. Specifically, it refers to 'an abundance of material possessions' (especially money). It goes back to the root (pel), signifying 'to flow', until something is filled to the full, and seems to, metaphorically, relate to water flowing until it fills something up.

Other translations present the concept more succinctly, where the idea is that giving financially, into good ground, simply multiplies your wealth even more!

2 Corinthians 9:11

"In every way you will grow richer and richer so as to give with perfect liberality, which will through me [Paul], result in thanksgiving to God for it" (Williams).

"...being made rich in every way for every (demonstration) of generosity" (Walter Bauer, Greek. English Lexicon of the N.T. & Other Early Christian Literature)

"You will get rich in everything so you can give generosity in every way; through us this will make people thank God" (William Beck).

When the offering, to the poor believers in Jerusalem, first started, in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he told them:

1 Corinthians 16:2

"Upon the first (day) of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as (God) hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come" (KJV).

"...let each of you put by and keep any profit he may have made..." (Weymouth)

"let everyone put so much by him, according to his financial prosperity" (Phillips)

"...in proportion as he is prospered..." (Williams)

"...let everyone of you put by him in store, in measure as he has done well in business, so that it may not be necessary to get money together when I come" (BBE)

THE TRUTH

Again, the whole argument, in raising the offering, to help other Believers, is that, "...you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich [abundance of material possessions & resources], yet for your sakes He became poor [He didn't just experience poverty, He bore poverty, just like He bore sin, sickness, and disease], that you through His poverty [He possessed it; owned it. He became poverty, just like He became sin and sickness], might be rich" (2 Cor. 8:9).

THE PLAN

The plan of God, our Father, is for us to use wealth, to expand His kingdom, to meet the needs of others, and the good ground that we sow into, causes even more abundance of wealth to return to us, to expand even more!

THE PRINCIPLE

This principle is often 'lost' on unbelievers, and even so-called believing Believers; yet they function in it throughout the year, in the natural world. If you plant a kernel of corn in the ground, you don't just get back the same kernel; it isn't lost to you. You get a stalk of corn, with multiple heads on the stalk, and hundreds of kernels of corn on every stalk. You take one potato, and cut the 'eyes' separately, and take each of the 'eyes' and maybe plant that one potato into several potato hills, and each hill produces multiple potatoes! It doesn't matter what type of seed it is, if it is planted in good ground, it produces 30, 60, 100 times more than what was planted.

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours