What The Bible Says

The Prosperity of Fools

Proverbs 1:32-33
32) For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33) But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

The Problem with Prosperity

The problem with prosperity is that it can easily become the goal or the purpose of our life and if we have been fortunate enough to materially prosper then we can interpret that as spiritual success. We can believe that if we are prospering financially then all must be well with our soul. The problem with this view is that it is not true. The Scripture teaches that all are spiritually impoverished until made rich by Christ. If, because of material success, we do not see the need to prepare for our soul, then the admonition of Proverbs 1:32, "the prosperity of fools shall slay them" has, for us, become prophetic. Listen to Jesus in Luke 12.

Luke 12:15-21
15) And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16) And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17) And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Jesus taught a parable of a rich man who had become very wealthy in his lifetime. He was a successful business man who at retirement planned to wisely store his riches. But Jesus referred to this man, not as wise, but as a fool, because he made preparation for his money but not his soul. The very day he was making plans to store his wealth, his soul would be required of him.

How Foolish!

How foolish to make no preparation for our sins! How foolish to spend a lifetime preparing for material riches and completely ignore the preparation of our soul to meet God. On the very day of his death the rich man was planning for his future! He failed to anticipate that would be the last day of his life and on that very day he would enter eternity, carrying not his money, but his sins. His energies, his time, his priorities, his passions, were owned, not by the Lord, but by the love of his money.

Material Prosperity Can Be Our "Savior"

Prosperity can become our “savior”. We can see it as "salvation" from a bleak and empty life. We can be captured emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually by the many "blessings" that accompany material success; we can be blinded to our sinfulness and our need of Salvation. If we find meaning only in our riches and our accomplishments, and not in the riches of Christ, then we have much in common with the rich fool, and according to Jesus, we will perish in our sins.

1John 2:15-17
15) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

We are told to turn from the love of money, the love of success, the love of achievements, and the love of accomplishments for they all have the potential to turn the heart from the love of God to the love of this world.

Where is the Profit?

Matt 16:26
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Jesus asks the question, if a man gains the whole world but loses his soul, then what has he profited? This question is for all. If, in the process of gaining everything I could ever want, I lose my soul, then what have I gained or where is the profit?

1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Pro 23:4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Pro 11:4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.

If we are going to be wise, we must make a decision that we are not going to be owned by that which cannot save. To be truly prosperous, we must possess the riches of heaven by following only the One who can save us!

Riches are deceptive for they make one feel secure. Our heart can take the feelings of material success, and by our imagination, spin those feelings into spiritual success. We can imagine we're secure, but in reality, only Salvation secures the soul. Neither riches nor personal success will atone for ones sins, and for sure, material prosperity cannot deliver from Hell.

God bless you,

Jim

Scripture

Matt 6:19-21
19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matt 6:24-33
24) No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26) Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27) Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28) And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29) And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30) Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31) Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32) (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Main Menu Top