WHERE TRUE RICHES CAN BE FOUND

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

“Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise person benefit Him? What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would He gain if your ways were blameless?”

“Is it for your piety that He rebukes you and brings charges against you? Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless? You demanded security from your relatives for no reason; you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked. You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry, though you were a powerful man, owning land — an honored man, living on it. And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless. That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you, why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.”

“Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how lofty are the highest stars! Yet you say, ‘What does God know? Does he judge through such darkness? Thick clouds veil him, so He does not see us as He goes about in the vaulted heavens.’ Will you keep to the old path that the wicked have trod? They were carried off before their time, their foundations washed away by a flood. They said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?’ Yet it was He who filled their houses with good things, so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked. The righteous see their ruin and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying, ‘Surely our foes are destroyed, and fire devours their wealth.’”

“Submit to God and be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you. Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways. When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the downcast. He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Job 22:1-30

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

We live in a world that equates success and happiness with prosperity. The focus is to go after the riches that the world has to offer and if you work hard and do the right things, you can find yourself to wealth which can give you joy and a trouble-free life. In fact, this world we live in offers you an express lane to rich, money-laden bliss by playing any number of lotteries that are available. Just pick some numbers or get a scratch off with some of your cash and you can instantly elevate yourself to financial paradise where you can buy things to fulfill your wildest dreams.

The pull for finding your way to prosperity has caused many men and women to resort to illegal means to get there. We read all the time about financial fraud and how people have been caught bilking others of thousands and thousands, if not millions, of dollars just so they could get ahead. Is there little wonder why the Bible proclaims that “the love of money is a root of many evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). Indeed, Satan does some of his shrewdest work though the sinful nature of greed.

Look at any nation and what gets talked about nearly more than anything. It’s money. If the economy is good then the nation is successful, work is plentiful, affluence is widespread, and the people are happy. But let the economy go bad and watch what happens. A dark cloud suddenly covers the land and people will look for whatever they have to do to remove it. Often times, this comes by way of electing new leadership, finding someone who will bring back the good times when the land was overflowing with milk and honey like the land God promised to His people.

And speaking of God and His goodness, many churches today receive a healthy dose every week of prosperity preaching. They preach in cavernous cathedrals of worship adorned with sharp technology and shining accoutrements, professing to their congregants that God wishes for them to flourish materially in life. If you have faith and pray for all the desires of your heart, the Lord will deliver…this is the premise of the prosperity preacher who typically enjoys a lavish lifestyle as an example of what godly living can bring.  

Yes, the world offers us a multitude of riches yet the greatest of these riches can't be found anywhere in this world. In fact, our greatest source of wealth produces no physically materialistic gain but rather an eternally spiritual one.

God’s word from Job, spoken by his friends Eliphaz, opens the door of truth to where true riches can be found. Consider these words:

“Submit to God and be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you. Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways. When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the downcast. He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

The world would say prosperity comes in the form of monetary riches. God’s word from Job, Chapter 22, says that prosperity comes when we submit and be at peace with God. This truth would be expounded on in Philippians, Chapter 4 where God’s word promises us a peace that transcends all understanding if we only present our requests to God by prayer and petition with thanksgiving. Those requests come in the form of trusting God to handle the matters that would take away our peace like anxiety, stress, worry and fear…ironically negative emotions that come as we consider trying to find peace and hope through worldly treasures.

God’s word assures us that the only true riches in life…the only prosperity that sustains…comes through the One who is Rich in all things. The Lord is the One who can be our choicest gold and silver. All we need to do is see Him that way in our hearts, minds, and souls…then submit to the riches that are found in Him and Him alone.

So what are we to do in submission? God’s word in Job touches on the following:

1.  Be at peace with God.

Perhaps this was Job’s greatest problem. In the midst of his suffering he was far from peace with God. Instead, he yearned to face God and defend himself against what he viewed as God’s unjust affliction placed on him, seeing others who he saw as being wicked prospering while he ailed.

Often times, I think lacking peace with God is our biggest problem as well. In our longing for God to fulfill the desires of our heart, many times wishing we had what others did, we fall out of the peace that comes with knowing He has blessed us abundantly already, far beyond what any of us deserve. We need to learn to measure God’s goodness at a personal level, not against the scale of those around us. Perhaps there was a good reason why God included coveting in His ten commandments for too often, it drags us away from being at peace with God.

2. Accept instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.

As we submit to God and seek peace with Him, we open our hearts, minds and souls to His desires for us, leaving behind our yearnings. God then speaks instruction to us in ways that lead us to fulfill His will for our lives if we only lay up His words in our hearts…words that contain His very treasures for us. Remember the words of Jesus? He said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Submitting to the Lord and making Him treasure will lead your heart there.

3. You will pray to God, He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways.

When we submit to God and accept His instruction, laying up His words in our hearts, we will be convicted and led toward His will for us. This will require our commitment…and vows to follow the Lord in faith, carrying out His wishes. This will not always be easy and we will so often find ourselves on our knees praying to our Treasure in Heaven. And when we are seeking His guidance to fulfill His will, something awesome happens…He hears us and delivers what we need so that His will might be done, shining His light on our ways. God’s holy word in the Book of First John puts it this way:

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”  1 John 5:14-15

Isn’t it an amazing assurance to know this truth…to know that the God of the universe, who can do all things without you and I, wants to partner with us to fulfill His purposes? I’m ever blown away by this and am reminded of it each time I sit down to write. Indeed, God will speak powerfully through those who submit to His will and receive the riches He gives.

4. You will find delight in the Almighty and will lift your face up to God.

Friends, this is the end reward for seeking the only place where true riches can be found. We find delight in Him as our faces are lifted up toward the heavens, buoyed by the eternal hope, peace and joy found in His word and ways. We escape the darkness and despair this world can bring as we pursue prosperity in all the wrong places and enter into the glee and gladness of the Father.

Have you discovered true prosperity in your life?

No one can give it to you except for God.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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