
Many Christians fall for the prosperity gospel teaching when their hearts are focused on the wealth and health of this world. The prosperity gospel teaching says that the giving of your possessions to the church determines the blessings that you will receive from the Lord. The more you give, the more God will bless you. They use Luke 6:38, which says, "Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." However, they have forgotten that when we give to the church, God always looks at the motive of our hearts. If our motive to give is to be wealthy and healthy and not to express our love, worship, and thankful heart before the Lord, then our giving is not acceptable to God. We cannot bribe our God with our possessions. God does not need our possessions, but he wants our hearts to be surrendered to Him. God wants to be our Master, Lord, and Savior in every area of our lives.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 says, "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." When people try to use God to be wealthy and healthy, they will find themselves to be disappointed and if they are believers, they will eventually walk away from their faith. God promised that He would take care of us and provide everything that we need. He is our Healer, and He heals us according to His purpose and plan in our lives. Let us always remember that God looks at the motive of our hearts all the time. Everything that we do, give, and serve in God's name, He always looks at our hearts.
God wants us to worship Him with our giving, and when we do so, He will bless us accordingly. It may not be in the way we expect, but He will bless us physically and spiritually, which produces godliness, joy, and peace.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What should be my motive in giving to God or to the church? What happens if I accept the teaching of the prosperity gospel? What does God promise me if I have the right motive in giving to God?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven, You own everything, for You created everything. You do not need my money or my possessions, but you want me to give to you as an expression of my worship and gratitude for all the blessings that you have given me. Please continue to teach me to give with the right motive so that you may bless me according to your will. Protect my heart from wrong teaching that I may live according to your ways. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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