What Is REAL Prosperity? The Pursuit of Spiritual Prosperity: Part 3

How do we attain spiritual prosperity if the Bible says our best work, that is our “righteousness”, is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6)? How can God EVER expect us to live righteously? Is this a cosmic trick? As I read through Psalms 37 and saw the great contrast between the promising future of the righteous and the horrible end of the wicked, it definitely motivated me to ask God how to live in HIS righteousness! 

I desire to have all of the remarkable promises that God makes in His Word, don’t you?

So, I read Psalms 37 again and made a list of all God’s promises for the righteous:

• He gives us the desires of our heart; 
• we will inherit the earth; 
• we will have an abundance of peace; 
• we will be satisfied—even in famine; 
• the Lord will guide our steps 
• He will catch us when we fall; 
• we will speak in wisdom and justice; 
• our inheritance will never perish; 
• the Lord will be our deliverer and defender…

I’ll bet you can find even more of God’s promises in this rich passage! So, this really made me wonder about how I could cash-in on these remarkable promises; I mean, how can I live by God’s righteous standard—when it seems so impossible??? Well, that’s why Jesus came!!! God sent Jesus “who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV When we surrender to Him and accept His gift of salvation, our soul and spirit obtain the righteousness of God. 

The gift of salvation is irrevocable; it is eternal. 

But why don’t we see more Christians living like they own the remarkable promises of Psalms 37? Why do we see so many dissatisfied, joyless, and unloving Christians? Well our human design also includes our fallen, unregenerate flesh. So in order to live righteously in this physical realm, we must make Jesus the LORD of our heart. He must be our greatest love. He must be the center of our personal life, our work life, our family life, our free time. He must be the ONE we love more than we love anything or anyone else. Jesus taught us this when He commanded:

“[L]ove the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 10:27 NKJV

Anything in our life that is more important to us than God is an area of unrighteousness. More directly stated—it is sin. How can we expect God to protect and defend the precious territory of our heart if we have given it over to His enemies? To live “right” with God means to live in loving obedience to Him. This is heart obedience. Now comes the verses that tie together all three of these lessons on spiritual prosperity. Jesus said:

“[D]o not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV

How did I miss this critical message for so many years in my Christian life??? 

We are not to seek primarily after the rich eternal blessings of God’s kingdom, but we are to passionately SEEK to live in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. I’ve never considered equating seeking God’s righteousness with seeking His riches. But we can’t have the reward without the hard work. Jesus did the hardest work and made the most sacrifice—when He provided the way for us to be reconciled to Himself. He walked through hell so that we didn’t have to. When we are born into His family, His righteousness lives in our soul and spirit. This earthly journey is an opportunity to bring our body in line with His righteousness so that other people can see the wonders of His presence and come to know Him as well!

God’s righteous ways are all found in His Word! If you have never been born again, what are you waiting for? Is there anything in this world that has completely satisfied you yet? This is where spiritual prosperity comes in. God has a perfect plan for your unique and wonderful life. He gives us ALL the opportunity to live in victory over sin. The more we live in God’s righteous ways, the more He produces the fruits of His Spirit—love, joy, peace, goodness, gentleness, meekness—within us; and remarkably, this fruit—in tandem with His truth and power—allows our life to reap the eternal treasures of bringing other people into His kingdom.

When we love God so much that we make His ways—our ways—He gives us GREAT spiritual prosperity and unimaginable satisfaction!

We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.

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