Proverbs 12:27-28

²⁷ The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt. ²⁸ In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.

Prosperity

What’s your personal view about preachers who preach prosperity gospel? How about preachers who totally disregard and vocally oppose sermons about prosperity? What is a prosperity gospel? Prosperity gospel is a belief that God rewards faithful givers of tithes with material wealth, good health and happiness. Preachers of prosperity gospel promote that giving God’s tithes is open secret to prosperity, good health and happiness of faithful givers of God’s tithes.

Personally, how do you interpret what God promised in Malachi 3:10-12?

“¹⁰Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” ¹¹ I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. ¹² “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

         If you test God’s faithfulness to practically bless you and give his tithes, make sure that you have strong faith to trust his promise. Make sure that you sense the Holy Spirit in you as guarantee that you have strong faith in the Lord. Faith is gift of God. And, his Holy Spirit inspires us to trust the promises of God. We prayerfully ask God to grant us faith and trust that he fulfills his promises.

         Let’s learn from the prayer of King Solomon in Proverbs 30:7-9, ⁷Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: ⁸Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. ⁹Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

         The Scripture testifies that when King Solomon was younger, he prayed for wisdom, and God granted him wisdom as well as wealth. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines who led him into wickedness. Maybe before he died, he desired a life pleasing to the Lord, instead of worldly materialism. He prayed to be kept from falsehood and lies, for sufficient provision and not for wealth or riches.

1.  Riches

²⁷ The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

         Roast game is the prize of the hunter. There are necessary preparations to be done before a hunter could be successful. Hunting requires diligence. Hunters would train to be experts in using any hunting tools: rifle, spear or bow and arrow. The government issued specific requirements for rifles allowed for hunting.

License to own a rifle is required. Hunting license is also required. The kind of game to be hunted, number of animals allowed per hunting license and places where hunting is allowed, it requires diligence to avail of such information.

         For instance, if the target game is deer, a diligent hunter should know the behavior of deer: where deer hangout and when they go out to search for food. Deer are very evasive. Deer have strong sense for dangers. So, they hide when they smell unfamiliar odor; they are alerted when unusual movements happen.

         Hunting season opens in autumn or fall and not in spring or summer. Deer are easier to see from afar when the ground is white with snow as compared to green grass in spring or summer. And not to mention the sacrifice of hunters, hunters endure the cold weather while waiting for their game. Diligent hunters must comply with all necessary training and requirement to enjoy hunting legally.

         Likewise, to productively enjoy the fruit of their labor, diligence is an asset to whatever career path they follow: hunting, fishing, farming, manual labor or office work. And, wisdom is crucial and essential to productive career, not just for beginners but for experts as well. Expertise in your career exhibits wisdom.

         Let us reflect on James 1:5, ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Wisdom

         Managers receive higher compensations than ordinary employees. To be promoted to managerial position is desirable but opportunity is not offered to everyone. Why? If you dream for to be promoted one day, if advancement in your career is your desire, seriously reflect on 2 Chronicles 1:7-12. ⁷God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”⁸Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. ⁹Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

¹¹ God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, ¹² therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”

         If you aspire to be manager, prayerfully ask God for wisdom for managerial job. If you think like ordinary laborer, will you be qualified for managerial position? Wisdom is needed to perform productively. And wealth can be practical proof of wisdom. Now, if we pray for wisdom like King Solomon, will God grant us wealth? Solomon was wise to ask God for wisdom. God granted him wisdom and wealth.

Wisdom from God should enable us also to perform in the way of righteousness.

2.  Righteousness

²⁸ In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.

         The term immortality pertains to eternal life in heaven where there’s no death, crying or pain. God gave us eternal life, and we live in the righteousness of God. God is righteous; his ways are righteous. He established his kingdom in righteousness. The Lord decides and performs according to his righteousness.

Together, let us meditate seriously on what it says in Romans 14:17-18:

¹⁷For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

         Righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit are vital essentialities in the ministry acceptable to God. When we serve him, the Lord wants us to enjoy it peacefully. Joyful peace testifies that service to the Lord is amazing experience.

Confused individuals may disregard it. But we choose the way of righteousness because the Holy Spirit of God produces joyful peace in us to be righteous.

         Reflect on what it says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

         By faith, we believe that the Lord took and crucified with Christ all our sins. We believe that in the eyes of God, we are flawless, perfect, pure and righteous. When the Holy Spirit prevails in us, God declares us as flawless believers without sin. How can that be? It’s the mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Isn’t that amazing story to tell our relatives and friends? Yes! But the Lord had warned that not everyone may happily listen when we talk about his gospel. Together, let us reflect of what happen when Christ preach in his hometown. It says in Matthew 13:54-57, ⁵⁴Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”

         As believers of Christ, we are mandated to spread his gospel wherever he situates us. You may choose to remain where you live right now or hope to live abroad. We cannot retire from our mandate to witness for Christ until he returns. Prayerfully ask God to give you discernment when, where and who you witness to. And as hunters roast their game, rewards await harvesters of souls for Christ.

Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful to his promise to be always with us until the end as we participate in our mandate to witness for him and make disciples.

Let’s pray for stronger faith and wisdom to be diligent in making disciples.

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