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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Prosperity (05/11/06)
Prosperity – what is it? The Bible promises it, and yet, I have watched the destruction of many good Christian lives because of an unhealthy desire and pursuit of it. My very own _____ have been transformed by their constant pursuit of prosperity. They were transformed into monsters of greed and jealously because of this thing.

What is Prosperity? I was told that I would never have a prosperous life because I refuse to ask God for it, I refuse to beg God for something that I do not deserve. Because I don’t care to confess it over my family and life with the expectation that God better give it to me. How could I go to God and demand Him to do and give me things when he is perfect and I am not.

But are material goods and more money that I can spend prosperity? I don’t think so. I don’t want more money than I can spend. I have come to love the fact that my family is so reliant on God. So what is prosperity?

To me it is my two children that love on me every morning. Prosperity is the genuine unconditional love that comes from an amazing wife after 7 years who still burns for me as I do for her. Prosperity is the unexplainable joy I feel when I go out on the streets and consistently share the Gospel with the lost and get rejected by some and wipe the tears of joy from the eyes from others who find Jesus. Prosperity is sitting at the table of my favorite restaurant every Friday night with my best friend to eating a salad while sharing our ideas on theology, the arts, science, etc.; agreeing and disagreeing on points.

Prosperity is looks like the face of my three year old daughter smiling at me every night after I have read her a bedtime story and we sung a song together before I tuck her in.

Prosperity sounds like my five year old boy sitting in his car seat behind me, singing some silly song he made up about Old McDonald on his farm, milking chocolate cows, and Mrs. McDonald dressing Ronald McDonald up and selling Hamburgers.

Prosperity tastes like the kisses I get from my wife when I have done something stupid and she wants to confirm her undying love to a sometimes goofy husband.

Prosperity feels like the embrace of my friends and family on a daily basis.

Prosperity smells like the aroma of a family dinner on a Sunday afternoon before the traditional afternoon nap I take prior to heading to Church for worship practice.

Prosperity is an amazing thing. The Bible tells me to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to me. I think that the problem is not prosperity, but how we view it and run after it. When people spend all their time running after, naming and claiming, and hording upon themselves what they view as prosperity, they miss the amazing true gift itself. The prosperity that men need is already around them. I thought prosperity was bad and corrupted men, but prosperity’s image is corrupted by men who run after it instead of running after God. Prosperity is meant to be a side effect for those who run after God, it is not meant to be run after. Running after God makes men holy, humble, righteous, but running after prosperity makes men loose site of God, humility, holiness, and righteousness, and transforms people into material seekers, treasure hunters, and at times pirates.

I have found God’s gift of prosperity in life and it is indescribable.
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This article has been read 1357 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Valerie Routhieaux
05/22/06
Nice testimony. Watch spelling - lose instead of loose, and sight instead of site
Helen Paynter
05/22/06
i enjoyed it all, but for me the gem was the way you defined propserity using the 5 senses. Cleverly done - I'd be inclined to expand that part a bit, and make it the whole article. Well done
Jan Ackerson
05/23/06
I agree that the middle section here is amazing, and I don't think anyone else took quite that approach. You perhaps used the word "prosperity" too many times--work on word choice and sentence structure, and your writing will go far.