3 John 2 (NKJV) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
For Christians, financial prosperity is just one aspect of being prosperous, because biblical prosperity is holistic and also includes having peace with God, walking closely with Him, good inter-personal relationships, physical health and having all our basic needs met. Unfortunately, many people are so focused on financial prosperity that they end up paying a heavy price for it in terms of failed marriages, neglected children and poor health. They may still have a lot of money, but it cannot buy them joy, peace, a blessed family, true friendships, good health, and a restored relationship with God.
Psalms 127:1-2 (NKJV) Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.
Do you know the secret of sleeping well even though you have a big role and responsibilities on your shoulders? If we consecrate our lives to God, He will help us to build our business and our career. It is God who is giving us the favours, strategies, and opportunities. Therefore, if we have faith that God is in control since He has been our partner from the very beginning, there won’t be any sleepless nights, because we trust in Him and cast all our cares on Him. We will have peace and joy in our hearts even when we may be going through challenges.
We need to renew our minds with the Word of God, and live out a consecrated lifestyle in order to prove that He has a good, acceptable and perfect will for our lives. The wonderful thing about being yoked with God as we pursue the plan that He has for us is that we can choose to rest in Him. Lastly, we will struggle a lot less if we have our identity rooted in Christ, where we value how God looks at us more than how people look at us. Those who have developed their identity based on their possessions and status and seek the approval of men are miserable, but when we have our identity as a child of the living God, we will experience peace and joy, because we have eternity in perspective and view money, corporate positions and material things as only temporal.
This is the best Christian world view we can have while pursuing our ambitions and careers in the world. There is no conflict in being rich, influential, successful, godly and passionate about Jesus, and when we acknowledge that God is the source of our wealth and we are the stewards, it will keep us humble.
Sermon Series: Seriously?
如何睡得安心
约翰三书1:2 亲爱的兄弟啊,我愿你凡事兴盛,身体健壮,正如你的灵魂兴盛一样
对基督徒而言,财务上的成功只是兴盛的一个方面,因为圣经上的兴盛是全方面的,包括与神和睦相处,与神同行,有非常良好的人际关系,身体健康,所有的基本需求都得到满足。不幸的是,许多人过于关注财务上的成功,最终却为此付出了沉重的代价,比如失败的婚姻、被忽视的孩子、糟糕的健康状况。也许,他们仍拥有许多的金钱,但却无法买到喜乐、平安、幸福的家庭、真正的友谊、健康以及恢复与神的关系。
诗篇127:1-2 若不是耶和华建造房屋,建造的人就枉然劳力;若不是耶和华看守城池,看守的人就枉然警醒。你们清晨早起,夜晚安歇,吃劳碌得来的饭,本是枉然;惟有耶和华所亲爱的,必叫他安然睡觉。
你知道肩负重任却能安然入睡的秘诀吗? 如果我们将自己的生命献给神,祂就会帮助我们建立生意和事业。 是神给了我们恩惠、策略和机会。 因此,如果我们相信神在掌管一切,因为祂从起初就是我们的伙伴,就不会有任何不眠之夜,因为我们相信祂并将所有的忧虑都交给祂。 即使我们可能正在经历挑战,我们的内心也会有平安和喜乐。
我们需要用神的话语更新我们的心意,活出一种圣洁的生活方式,以证明祂对我们的生活有一个美好的、可接受的和完美的旨意。 当我们追求祂为我们制定的计划时,与神同负一轭的美妙之处在于,我们可以选择安息在祂里面。 最后,如果我们的身份根植于基督,我们的挣扎就会少很多,我们更看重神如何看待我们,而不是人们如何看待我们。 那些把自己的身份建立在自己的财产和地位上并寻求人认可的人是可悲的,但是当我们拥有永生神儿女的身份时,我们将经历平安与喜乐,因为我们拥有了永恒, 而金钱、公司职位和物质的东西只是暂时的。
这是我们在世界上追求我们的抱负和事业时所能拥有的最好的基督徒的世界观。 富有、有影响力、成功、敬虔和对耶稣充满热情,这些都没有冲突,当我们承认神是我们财富的源头而我们是管家时,它会让我们保持谦卑。
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