The Test of Prosperity

 Are you ready for God to pour out his blessings?

Are you really ready for God to bless you? I’m not asking, “Do you want God to bless you?” Practically everybody would say yes to that question. I’m asking, “Are you ready for God to bless you?”

Wanting God to bless you and being ready for God to bless you are two very different things. As a pastor, I’ve seen a lot of people seek God’s blessings, only to drift away from their relationship with God when the blessings came. Sometimes the end result is worse than the predicament that made them seek God in the first place. I know that when I was a teenager, my own family drifted from God as we began to experience more “blessing.” We weren’t ready for blessing, if you want to call it that. I can’t go into the details here, but our family paid a price. My brother and I especially paid a price through our years of rebellion, drug abuse, and self-destruction. Thankfully, God has wonderfully turned things around for my whole family.

So, this question is more than theoretical: Are you really ready for blessing?

How do you respond to God in the good times?

How do you respond to God during a season of blessing?

How do you respond when you get that degree you strived for?

How do you respond to God when you get that promotion, when you buy that dream house, when you finally get rid of that hooptie and get a reliable car, when you no longer have to be concerned about whether your kids will go to bed hungry?

How do you respond to God? Your source during a season of sufficiency is the same as in your time of testing. When things are good, lean on God’s strength and not your own.

Will you pass the test of prosperity?

Deuteronomy 8:10-18 sets forth the test of prosperity, the test of blessing. At this point God  had led the Israelites out of Egypt, brought them through the wilderness, and was preparing them to enter the Promised Land. The test of prosperity is two-fold: Will you remember the Lord, and will you observe his commands? Wouldn’t it be a shame to pass the test of faithfulness to God when things are rough, but then forget God when things get good?

How do you remember the Lord?

What does it mean to remember? As it says, do not forget. We are more likely to forget when things are good than when things are bad. Israel had a real knack for seeing amazing miracles, then forgetting! Here are four things in this passage that help us know what it is to remember the Lord:

1. Remember where he brought you from. He brought the Israelites out of slavery (Deuteronomy 8:14). The Bible tells us that before finding freedom in Jesus, we too are in slavery. We may have been bound by addictions, wrong thinking, or many other stifling problems. We may even have been in bondage to success as the world defines it. Remember where God brought you from. 
2. Remember what he brought you through. God led the Israelites through the dreadful wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:15). Usually, when you begin your journey toward freedom, you have to go through some challenges before things get better. God will bring you through. When he does, don’t forget it. 
3. Remember how he provided for you. He provided water from a rock and manna for the Israelites to eat in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:15-16). When you are going through tough times, God will show up in a miraculous way. Remember the miracles God has done for you. 
4. Remember what he brought you to. He brought the Israelites to a place where they could eat and be satisfied. If you are in that place of blessing right now, don’t forget that it is God who led you there, and God who continues to be your source for everything you need. God is not against your enjoyment of that place where you can “eat and be satisfied.” He doesn’t want that blessing to lead you to forget him, however. What you do in a place of satisfaction determines whether it is good or not! (Deuteronomy 8:10,12)

Remember.

Remember, God is your source in the land of plenty, too! God is your source in the land of plenty, just as much as he was when he provided manna in the desert. As we are warned, don’t begin to think that it is your own strength that gives you the success you’ve attained! Remember God’s provision in your trials!

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”  But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Prosperity Test Part 2: Obedience

Will you obey the Lord when things are good? Obedience flows out of remembering the goodness of God, remembering that it is he who has blessed you! Likewise, obedience flows out of our love for God. In some ways, as important as obedience is, obedience is a byproduct of other aspects of our relationship with God. We should also remember that obedience to God is not about following a bunch of religious rules. Obedience is a matter of following the greatest commands: love God and love people.

Get practical with your obedience. What does it mean for you to obey God’s will for your life? What are you doing that you feel God wants to remove from your life? What do you think you should be doing that you’re putting off? I especially want to appeal to you: If you are in a place of blessing, make doing the will of God the highest ambition of your life.

Can we expect blessings?

God told Israel in Deuteronomy 8 that he was confirming his covenant with Israel by prospering them in their land. Does God still confirm his covenant with us? We are actually servants of a better covenant than Israel had, because our covenant is through the sacrifice of Jesus. Do you think God blesses less under our covenant with Jesus, or does he bless more? I believe it is at least the same! God still blesses his people.

Our focus is not on our blessing, though. Our focus is on God’s kingdom, that is, God’s purposes for our lives and our world. God told Israel in Deuteronomy 8 that he was confirming his covenant with Israel by prospering them in their land. Does God still confirm his covenant with us? We are actually servants of a better covenant than Israel had because our covenant is through the sacrifice of Jesus. Do you think God blesses less under our covenant with Jesus, or does he bless more? I believe it is at least the same! God still blesses his people. Our focus is not on our blessing, though. Our focus is on God’s kingdom, that is, God’s purposes for our lives and our world.

Our focus is on God’s covenant with us and on bringing as many as possible into that covenant. Blessing and covenant go hand in hand throughout Scripture. We should expect blessing if we are in covenant with God through Jesus. But we should know that our covenant is not dependent on the material blessing. The material blessing isn’t somehow owed to us because we’re in covenant. The material blessing, just like our salvation,  is a manifestation of God’s grace. We are grateful to God, obedient to God, in times of abundance. And when we endure times when we aren’t settled, when we aren’t in the place of abundance, we still recognize God’s covenant of grace.

Put God first, and God will ultimately make sure you eat and are satisfied. God will cause your herds and flocks to grow large, and your silver and gold to increase, and multiply all you have (this is language right out of Deuteronomy 8!). He will give you the ability to produce wealth. If that happens in this lifetime, refuse to become proud. Keep God first with all your blessings, and with all your life.

Pastor Ed’s Notes:

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