Learning How To Live On Easy Street

I took care of you in the wilderness, in a waterless land. As their pastures flourished, all their desires were met. As they were satiated, they became arrogant and therefore ignored me. Hosea 13:5-6 (International Standard Version, ISV)

Israel trusted God when times were hard. However, when God made them prosperous and met all their needs, they turned away from Him. This happened many times.

These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. I Corinthians 10:11 (New Living Translation, NLT)

All of us wish to be prosperous; financially and in every way possible. There is nothing wrong with wanting your needs to be met with extra left over for enjoyment and to give to others. The problem is if we allow prosperity to cause us to drift away from the Lord. We need to learn from Israel’s mistakes and guard against this.

Believe it or not, it can be easier to follow God during times of struggle than when things are easy. I know it sounds backwards, but it’s true. When we have needs, we turn to the Lord to meet them and we stand in faith for our needs to be met. When we have an abundance, our focus can be drawn away from seeking God and turned towards the things that prosperity brings. Prosperity can be one of the biggest tests of our faith.

Prosperity gives us extra free time to enjoy life and take part in recreational activities instead of work. The pursuit of fun and entertainment can take the place of the pursuit of God. It is crucial that we maintain daily time with the Lord and to be in His Word and in prayer. When other activities draw us away from God, it is time to put those activities away- at least for a while.

Prosperity allows us to purchase the material goods we want. It is a blessing to be able to have and enjoy the things we desire. However, it can be easy to be captivated by the things we have, and soon they have our heart. And, the more we have, the more we must maintain and take care of. That can take time away from our pursuit of the Lord as well.

I believe prosperous times are ahead for the people of God- very prosperous times. This is exciting and encouraging, but let’s prepare our hearts to properly handle the wealth we will have. We can balance the enjoyment of wealth with the ability to use it for the Kingdom of God. Prosperity is of God, and being prosperous is a blessing when we maintain the right perspective and keep God first place in our hearts.