Beware the Errors of the Prosperity Gospel

Just some early morning musings.

Please beware of the errors of the prosperity gospel. These errors, in various forms, have seeped into our society (and in many cases flowed into our society) for nearly a hundred years.

Actually, these or similar errors go back longer than a century, into antiquity, as people watched Job suffer monetary and health losses and they said he must not be right with God. A whole book of the Bible is devoted to refuting this way of thinking. God said that Job was a righteous man.

God is not a puppet master or a marionette master, pulling the strings of our lives and of those around us. He gave us free will...all of us. And each of us can be affected by the sins and even by the very human mistakes of any. Whoa, that's a heavy thought. But let's think about the ripple effect. If someone makes an unjust law that stays on the books for centuries, it reaches across time. If someone ruins the supply of a life-giving commodity, the effects can reach across a country and perhaps even the globe.

We don't know all the reasons bad things happen, but we need only look at Job - and Jesus - to know that sufferings of this life cannot be assumed to be punishments or a lack of blessing. As I heard one good priest say emphatically, "All *good things* come from God!"

So, what are some of the dangers of prosperity gospel thinking? Perhaps a kind of despair (thinking we are not good enough.). Perhaps a lack of compassion (how many times have we seen "the poor" criticized, as if it is all their fault?). Perhaps a lack of charity to those who are not deemed worthy (paying for the drink of the next person waiting in the drive-through line in their SUV, but always avoiding the homeless with averted eye).

Let's remember in all adversity that we can always turn to God. In some cases, he might fix the problem through a miracle or through science or through inspiring us what we can do next. But other times, he might give us comfort, or patience, or joy in the midst of sorrows. Sometimes he might send someone to encourage or comfort us or to help us with our needs. We don't have to be "worthy" to receive God's blessings. He is always with us, always loving us, all of us, rich and poor, healthy and sick, loving us as a good Father.