Psalm 25:11-14
11For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. 12Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. 13His soul will abide in prosperity, And his descendants will inherit the land. 14The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant. (NASB)
In verse 13, David mentions prosperity and inheritance. The cross references in this passage lead us to Matthew 5:5, which says:
5"Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. (NASB)
What is this inheritance and what is this prosperity? Are the TV EV's right after all? Are we as Christians really entitled to a better life according to God's Word?
I believe this inheritance speaks of the eternal inheritance that we will see when the new earth is presented. And I believe a portion of this prosperity shows itself in verse 14.
14The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant. (NASB)
What does the Psalmist mean by the secret of the Lord? This indicates intimacy, close friendship between those who fear the Lord and the Lord God Almighty Himself. Jesus Christ echoed this sentiment in John 17:3.
3"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (NASB)
To know God. To have a close, intimate friendship with the one and only true God that we once hated. To have His covenant revealed to us, His friends.
I wish I could say that I had severed all my worldly desires, but I know that would be a lie. I don't desire the big house or the Mercedes or the overpriced Bob Timberlake clothing from Bass Pro Shops. But I still have other desires that stem from a love of the things of this world.
I pray that I would cut the remaining ties to this temporal world because I know that the love and the life that God has to offer is far better than anything we could imagine.
1 Corinthians 2:9
9However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (NIV)
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1 comments:
Good word unstoned! I am sure this is a struggle that we all face and do not fully comprehend.
When do we cross the line between godly prosperity and idolatry?
This is probably one of the biggest struggles. Many would conclude that their prosperity preaching is godly and and encouragement to the saints when in reality it is nothing more than the fulfillment of the flesh and earthly desires.
On the other hand..... Their is a certain prosperity that one receives with the new birth by the Holy Spirit; the eternal prosperity. Not something that is temporal and will burn up in the trying fire, but that which will stand after the judgment.
Prosperity is not "Your Best Life Now" --- it is your best life here and in the hereafter in Christ.
Live for the King,
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