Is Prosperity Better?

By Travis Robertson

     When we hear about someone who won the lottery, do we think, “Wow, if only I had hundreds of millions of dollars life would be so much better”? Sure, we can see how having a lot more amenities and not needing to think about how we will pay the mortgage or rent next month would be nice, but does the money make our life better?
     King David finds himself in a prosperous situation in 1 Chronicles 21. He decides that he is going to number Israel, yet this was not something God wanted him to do. David was king, and he was prospering. He thought he should see just how strong and prosperous he was. You will notice, in verse 1, that Satan saw this as a great opportunity to tempt David. David sinned, and it ended up costing 70,000 Israelite’s lives as a punishment from God.
     We need to be reminded that when we are blessed, when we have reached the top of the mountain, that God is the one that helped us get there. It is easy to fall into the traps and snares that the desire for riches bring (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Let’s follow the instruction of Paul to put our hope in God and use our blessings and riches for good works (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Is prosperity better? It depends on what you do when you prosper.

- Travis Robertson preachers for the Lake Norman Church of Christ in Huntersville, NC. He may be contacted through the congregation's website at http://lakenormancoc.org/