23/01/11

Prosper in everything

3 John 1:2 - Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.


Prosperity is the reason due to which many come into religion, pursue God, or even live. Prosperity is not bad and it also the main reason God created us so that He could see us prosper.

But would you like to be formed with one hand big and the other short, one leg of double size and the other half the size? You would say cursed is the man who is made like this.

When we are void of understanding we land up praying and pursuing God to make our left hand long but are not bothered of our right hand. We ask God for physical needs but ignore our spiritual needs. We want to be healthy in body and we get down on our knees and make desperate requests when our physical bodies are not functioning well. But do people do that when they soul and spirit is not functioning well?

In today's message the Lord is telling us even the other extreme is not good, wherein we only pursue spiritual growth, like knowledge and gifts and ignore our physical needs. A person with great knowledge of the Kingdom of God and blessed with great spiritual gifts but who does not have the strength to walk 2 miles is like a handicap solider in the Kingdom of God. How will he go the various missions which the Lord wants to take him?

The Lord is not telling us to go to a gym. Even though we should give priority to spiritual things first which are permanent, yet we should not ignore our physical needs and our health.

Let me give you my own example:

I get up very early mornings to study and write my messages before I go off to work. I manage 2 websites, SavedByFaith.info through which I send daily devotional mails, which are basically the Gospel (rarely I get deeper into the Word) and the other site wherein I write to teach the Word of God in depth.

I do not use an alarm (for a very short time I did) but the Lord wakes me up and it happens like someone switched on worship music that too loud, like a live heavenly band playing before me. According to Indian timings my getting up is very early, normally it is 5am but sometimes it is even 3am or 4am at such times I get very excited for I know there is going to be great revelations that day. This does not happen nonstop, for there are also times the Lord lets me sleep longer so that my body gets rest. If I keep myself awake late night due to worldly or fleshy things, it affects my system and this becomes visible in my work, health and my spiritual communication with the Lord.

Let us discern in all that we do so that we prosper fully in everything, let us be healthy in body, soul and spirit and let the glory of God be visible in us.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You are a righteous God. In your endless wisdom You made us. You gave us all the ability and resource to take care of ourselves and prove ourselves to be mature sons. It is our lack of understanding, discernment and passion for You that leads us to unbalance the balance You have set. Lord, help us to get our house in order, for You are a God of order not chaos...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripture ]
3 John 1:2-4
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

1 Corinthians 6:20
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Thessalonians 5:22-23
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)