ONE FOR THE ROAD
One issue that is still going to make a lot of people suffer, is this one. Some people have resorted to turn to God as relief for their life problems. Yes, God is available for everyone during times of hardship, but if the only reason we seek him, is for us to get things, something is not right.
It is this attitude of only seeking for things from God that has caused a lot of trouble for many covetous and greedy people. These are the type of people that often fall into traps of extortion and fraud because they can do anything, I mean anything to get money and material things. They ‘buy’ cheap prophecies and believe that like manna from heaven, they can just wake up and find money in their accounts and claim that it is from God. This also creates a lot of frustration for them because if whatever they have been told to do, does not work accordingly, all hell brakes loose.
‘Bo-I-receive’ and their vague false prophets have tarnished the name of the church. Instead of going to church because they love God and want to serve him, they want to treat God like Father Christmas, and expect him to dish out material things like cars, and houses, among others.
Truth be told, you do not even need God to find a wife, or get a big expensive car, build a mansion or run a successful business, even those that despise God and do not acknowledge him in their lives can get these. Claiming to be a believer is far much more than material riches. Genuine faith in God involves selflessness, sacrifice, and endurance through difficulties, contentment even when in need, patience and most importantly faith.
What happened to that old time religion? The new wave of prosperity and wealth at all cost has derailed many that were once in the faith. There is a danger when we start to measure our spirituality according to what we have and have achieved. This path can only lead to disaster. If the message of salvation and the gospel is only for the poor, it lacks the most fundamental element, which is to appeal to everyone like God first desired. If people are called to God only because of what they can gain, it means those that already have valued possessions do not qualify. Therefore, church is not about possessions, it is about hearts that are longing for the creator.
On the flip side, Christians who have been entrusted with wealth should use their riches to help meet the needs of others. Meeting the needs of underprivileged members of society falls upon the church. Believers are expected not to store up riches for themselves, but rather see everything as a blessing entrusted to them by God in order to bless others.
This type of mindset is difficult to live with in a world that measures success by possessions and materials, but nothing compares to obeying, serving, and worshipping God genuinely, no strings attached.