Prosperity and the Genie

Ever heard of the prosperity gospel? You know the one: God WANTS you to be rich and have every material thing you think you need. I thought it was a gospel we could trace back to the mid-20th century. I was wrong.

I was reading the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke Chapter 16. You know the one where the rich man ate well and had everything he wanted, while Lazarus wanted only to eat the scraps from his table. He was that hungry and miserable, with sores dotted around his body.

The prosperity gospel has done serious damage in the church for a long time

Well, they both die. Luke says the rich man descended to Hades while the poor man “was carried away by angels to Abraham’s side.” This did not go over well with the Pharisees. You know how the felt about their “Father Abraham,” right? The idea of a lowly beggar next to Abraham in Heaven was pure blasphemy in their mind. All because he was poor.

Doing some studying, the mention of the poor man, table scraps, and the sores on his body would have been literally disgusting and loathsome to the Pharisees. Back then, the religious leaders tended to see things like poverty and extreme illness as proof of divine disfavor. Not only did they view the man as unclean but also despised by God.

Starting to sound a little familiar, yet?

The suggestion that a rich man would be in Hell was also scandalous in the eyes of the Pharisees. They leaders felt their money was rock-solid proof that they were favored by God, who would never send one of them to Hell.

Imagine calling yourself a “religious leader” and having no compassion for human suffering at all. This is proof to me (and I hope you) that religion is man’s attempt to reach God and be good enough, while a relationship is established by what God already did in the person of Jesus Christ.

I remember being young and talking with Gramma Betty (my dad’s mom), who said to me “Chad, remember that money is just a tool.” I was so young at the time I didn’t really get it. As an adult, I certainly understand what she was driving at. And yes, I’m ashamed to say I didn’t always listen to her advice and lusted after money as a younger man.

How does the old saying go? “Money is a great servant but a poor master.” The Bible seems to echo that sentiment: “For the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). There seems to be a lot of loving money in Washington, D.C., these days, and at all levels of government. How’s that working out? I’d say the Bible is more than relevant in the modern age.

God is not here to grant wishes

Bad news. God is not a genie here to grant your every wish. The good news is He created the universe and wants a relationship with you through His Son, Jesus!

“Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for He has said ‘I will NEVER leave you or forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). The key word in that verse is never. He’s always here for us!