Should Jehovah’s Faithful Children Expect to Prosper Whilst on Earth?

Is prosperity one of the rewards of man’s faithfulness to Jehovah? This is a question that every faithful servant of Jehovah can answer without any problem. However in this old corrupt world where pretense takes precedence many people are looking at the lives of people who are supposable Jehovah’s faithful children who are struggling to survive and are unable to make ends meet. But the question we must ask ourselves is, to whom or to what are they faithful? It is an important fact that most of Jehovah’s professed people are more dedicated to their family, friend, occupation, bosses and even their spouse than they are to the almighty God of the universe: Jehovah, thus they rewards Jehovah's goodness, love and faithfulness towards them/us with ingratitude.

Many people want the rewards of the faithful without the commitment and obedience that ought to accompany such. Our “I want it now” world; have driven us into a life of pretense. Many people rather alter the meaning of Jehovah holy words than to confess their disobedience; they rather call the “I AM” a liar than to admit that they are struggling with certain issues. In our effort to make a good impression our Christian lives becomes a big game of pretence a facade. Those who refused to confesses that they are not totally faithful to Jehovah and are not being blessed as they ought to; are often unfaithful and in their pretense gives new meaning to words such as prosperity. The word prosperity means to increase in wealth, riches, affluence and success. Prosperity in no way means good health you can be healthy but not prosperous. Jehovah know the difference between prosperity and good health. Hence the reason John made it clare when he said in 3rd-John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospereth.

Jesus himself told his children in: Mark 10: 29-30 “and Jesus answered and said, 29: “I say unto you, there is no man that has left house, or brethren, or sisters of father or mother, or wife or children, or land for my sake of the gospel’s.

30: But he shall receive a hundred fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sister and mother, and land with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. In the text above we see Jesus giving his children the prescription for Earthly prosperity.

Jesus the Son of the living God, have tell us as long as we are faithful to him and his Gospel we will be given the privilege to accumulate earthly riches, not just get things, we will get them 100 times what he had or forsake for his sake. In other words there must not be anything standing between the giver of everything and us. To often we allow the gift to become a partition; separating us from the giver. We fail to understand that he who gave good gift, can at any time take away that gift (be it mother, father, spouse, finances, property etc.)

The kind of loyalty Jehovah loves and take pleasure in rewarding the loyalty that moves us to put him before everything and everyone. He declared in Matthew 6: 33

Seek ye first the kingdom of Jehovah and all his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.

Let us take a good look at a few prominent men who consciously chosen to seek and put Jehovah first in and over all things and every human, as a results Jehovah blessed and prospered them. They are Job, Abraham, Joseph, etc. all of these men increase in riches/wealth, affluence and success. If your prosperity is from Jehovah then you will increase in all of the above not just riches, for there is no prosperity without affluent or success. If your prosperity is from Jehovah you will increase in wealth, affluence and success.

How is it with Jehovah and his son Jesus Christ? What happens when we are faithful to Jehovah, when we love and obey his words; not because we have to, feel we should or out of feelings of guilt; but because we want to? The best type of obedience comes from a heart of love.

King David said that he was young but now he is old; yet he have never seen the righteous forsaken not Jehovah’s seed begging bread. Jehovah said that his people should be the head and not the tail. How can you truly represent Jehovah if you are waddling in poverty?

We are to reflect Jehovah’s love in the way we treat others, we should reflect:

• Jehovah forgiveness when we forgive those who do us wrong, say bad things about us, who cause our relationships to break up and who were unfaithful to us.
  

• we must reflect Jehovah Compassion when we are touch by the need and pain of others but more so when we are moved to relief such pain and satisfy the needs.

• We must show that Jehovah is faithful to his words by being faithful to our words.
  
• We must be able to show that our father is the owner of the entire universe and the cattle on a thousand hills belong to him. By being able to satisfy the physical need of those who are suffering around us.

How can I serve such a great God, who is extremely rich in that, he owns the entire universe and all that is in it, he is so loving, that he offered himself to die in my place, one who is so forgiving that he forgive the wicked things I did/do to him and against him. He forgives me each time I willfully participate in his crucifixion anew. Will such merciful, loving and faithful father allow his obedient, faithful children to exist in poverty?

I answering this question I say NO!

Matthew 7:10- What man there is of you whom if his son asks you for bread will give him a stone.

10: or if he ask for a fish will give him a serpent.

11: if ye then being evil know how to give good gift unto your children how much more shall your heavenly father which is in heaven give good things to those who asked him?

We must remember 2-Peter 3: 9 “Jehovah is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Jehovah’s primary goal is for us all to repent for our sins and if we are faithful he will ensure that we all are rewarded for our faithfulness; here on earth and as well as when he return. The scripture said: For Jehovah is not slack concerning his promises, he doesn’t take his words lightly, he dose what so ever he say he will do. Did you notice that all of Jehovah and Jesus’ promises has a condition attached to them? Jehovah was the inventor and the first to use the reinforcement therapy. Here we see the concept of positive reinforcement coming in to play as outlined in his promises and covenants.

All through Jehovah’s word he show us that unconditional obedience to him has its rewards the primary of which is the privilege to live and reign with him in the earth made new, however he also promise to protect us and to prosper us. Let us take a look at what I consider and call the comprehensive Psalms which is Psalms 1: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners not sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2. But his delight is in the law if the lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of many water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither and what so ever he doeth shall prosper.”

Here we see one of the rewards for obedience to Jehovah is: earthly prosperity. Here we can see the parallels in the points and they all point to being blessed with wealth.

David who Jesus call a man after his own heart, in counseling his son Salomon; he did not fail to remind him of the words Jehovah give to Moses 2-Kings “and keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.

There are many reasons why we should be faithful to Jehovah the least of which is personal prosperity. But we must be willing to love Jehovah first because he loved us even before he created us, he loved us even when we rebelled from him and came to die in Calvary’s cross to redeemed us from the hand of the devil, and he provides for use each day.