The Secret of Prosperity - Part 1 of 4

Prosperity - "a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition." Jesus said the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but that He came that people may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. This isn't just for some future time when we die and go to heaven. It's now. So who doesn't want this prosperous, abundant life! Everybody does!

I believe I've found the secret to prosperity, and while I've not yet fully "arrived," I've been growing in it for several years. To get to this place of growing in prosperity and the abundant life, I've gone through a gradual mindset change over a long period of time. I've learned who I am in Christ through God's grace and His gift of righteousness. I've studied the lives of others, including biblical characters and people I know, who seem to have this prosperity that I'm after.

I just heard the song "Woman" by John Lennon on the radio yesterday. In the song, John sings that he is thankful to his woman - Yoko Ono - for many things, including "for showing me the meaning of success." Lennon had great wealth and fame as a member of the Beatles. Do you think that's what Yoko had pointed out to him in order to show him the meaning of success in his life? Of course not. Perhaps through his relationship with her something shifted in his mind to show him that that's not what true prosperity ("a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition") was all about.

So what is it all about? (Especially in regards to our life in Christ). What is the abundant life and prosperity all about? Is it about earthly wealth? In other words, when Christ said He came to give us life to the full - even in this life on earth - was He talking about us getting a better car, a better paying job, a better house, and other material possessions such as those?

Like I said, I believe I've found the secret to true prosperity - but it's not really all that much of a secret! For many, I think it's simply a matter of a shifting from thinking one way to thinking another way. Isn't that really what "growing in grace" involves? In Christ, God has already given us everything we need - we are lacking in nothing - and we spend a lifetime of "growing" in understanding and appropriating the truth of what is already ours!

Since we already have all we need, I've found that the secret to prosperity in the Christian life is - are you ready for it?

Being content. Being content is a wonderful state of being. "Content" is a wonderful word. It means "satisfied." ("Satisfied" means happy, filled, gratified, fulfilled). A fuller meaning of "content" would be "satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else." God has already given us a lot! If you believe that in Christ you already have everything you need and that you need nothing more, then you are content - and I believe this is the secret of true prosperity.

The Secret of Prosperity Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4