It is very obvious that people today want MORE. More success, more beauty, more wealth, more networks and relationships. Snail mail evolved to e mail, e mail to Instant messaging, then phone texting. My space gave place to facebook and tweeting.
We have gone from house phones to cell phones the size of backpacks to ones we can wear in our ear. We no longer have to heat with wood, light with candles or ride horse and buggy. We have life coaches, beauty consultants, plastic surgeons, and physical instructors to keep us in line, beautiful and stronger bodied.
We are moving and expanding all the time. God intended for us to grow, to increase and to make progress!
God spoke and framed the worlds, placing plant life, fish, fowls, animals, and all creeping things in the land. He then placed mankind there. In His own image he had made them, and within each plant, fish, fowl, animal, insect and man he put seed within itself that each might multiply.
God did not intend poverty. He proclaimed multiplication and increase.
For people to assume God is pleased with poverty or that he expects his children to live within that realm is to err of the character and nature of God.
God himself takes pleasure in the prosperity of his children. Faith pleases God. Romans 10:17 lets us know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word and Heb. 11:1 tell us that faith is the substances of things hoped for and the evidence of things we cannot see.
As we read the Word from which faith comes, we find God bringing His enslaved children out of Egypt and into the promised land. A land flowing with abundance. His desire was to bring them out of lack into more.
You find him instructing military leaders in how to win wars that gave them more land and ownership. And lepers entering a land to gather up three days worth of spoil.
Deuteronomy 28 speaks to us about blessings over taking us. Malachi talks to us about the blessings being poured out on us in measures that could not be contained. The gospels speaks of multiplication of food insomuch that all were fed and baskets were left over, and this is just to jot down a few examples of God's glorious idea of provisions for his children.
False religions will again enslave people to the bondage of lack and defeat. True religion will enable people to walk blessed and be a blessing. Truth empowers people to care for widows, fatherless (orphans); the hungry, naked and imprisoned, caring for the destitute and prostitute.
Some live with the idea that we are to do all these great works, but have nothing ourselves. Poooh! How can that even be possible from a biblical stand point?
According to the gospel of Jesus Christ, when we give it comes back to us pressed down, shaken together and overflowing. When we sow seed it multiplies 30, 60, 100 fold. When we put our hands to things ... any thing, God causes us to have good success.
Many people have a very wrong mindset of the character and nature of God. God is a good God. He is creator! He is provider! He is physician! He is protector! He is Bread to the hungry! He is drink to the Thirsty! He is all in all! What ever you need ... He is! However, to access Him and His goodness ... it takes faith!
People must believe that He (God) is ... and that He is a re-warder of those who diligently seek Him. They must believe that He hears them when they pray and that He answers.
It would do people well, to get to know God. To seek Him. To call upon Him. To study the Word. To ask the Holy Spirit to teach them.
They would soon find God is love. And love is faith's activator. They would soon find that if they did not love their fellow man the love of God was not in them. And that with God nothing is impossible, nothing to hard.
They would find that Jesus healed all the sick and diseased expect for those who would not put their faith in him as healer. They would find that He feed the hungry and ministered the good news of the gospel to the poor. That good news to the poor is this ... you don't have to be poor.
Certainly the poor will always be among us. This is because people will refuse to open themselves up and receive the truth that will set them free from poverty and lack.
Many will refuse the Lord Jesus Christ and His goodness. Others will receive Him as far as to open their hearts up to the idea of His life, resurrection, accession and return. But they will never operate from the means of prayer that Jesus taught His disciples years ago, when He told them: "pray in this manner ... ~thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven". Oh, these people would tell you, there is no lack or sick and diseased in heaven, but yet they refuse to believe that they could walk in that heavenly life here in planet earth. But Jesus made it clear to pray and reach toward that reality.
As for the Blind man and his son who received their sight, they would tell you that heaven can come to earth. The widow who received her dead son to life would tell you that she experienced some heaven on earth, as would Jairus and his family.
If Martha were here today she would not just talk to us about the resurrection, but she would speak to us about how her brother came forth from the grave in his present life with a promise of a future resurrection.
And who could deny that God sent heaven to earth when when gave us Jesus?
Oh, how people need to seek God, read the Word, find out the character of God. How they need to allow the Holy Spirit to teach them truth. Jesus came to earth to show us the way of LIFE 'and' of life eternal. As well as to atone for our sins.
He came proclaiming the kingdom of God is among you; [has came to you; is present with you; is in you]. He came to give us truth that would set us free! He came to give Life and that MORE abundant!
Oh, that people would open their heart to truth. That they would open the Word of God [Bible] and let the Holy Spirit teach and renew the mind. They would be glad they did, as they would find that God is a good and that He is not withholding any good thing. Matter of fact He wants to be more than enough for you in every area of life.
