S: Psalm 128:1-4 How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labour. How joyful and prosperous you will be! Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table. That is the Lord’s blessing for those who fear him.
Revelation 21:3-7 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
O: The "prosperity Gospel" is clearly false, but there is a sense in which it is true -- God has temporal as well as eternal blessings for those who fear Him.
The passage from the Psalms above talks about some of the natural consequences of fearing the Lord and following His ways. When we do things God's way, these things tend to happen -- you tend to have a happier marriage, your children tend to be godly, you will tend to be financially sound -- because God's principles for marriage, childrearing, and fiscal responsibility has these natural consequences.
Yes, there are people who, out of no fault of their own, have spouses who don't live well with them, children who turn away from the Lord, or financial disaster. Yes, sometimes God calls His saints to go through the fire because He has a higher purpose. But in general, if you fear the Lord and follow His ways, you will do well in your marriage, children and finances as well.
And of course, you will also be part of that crowd described in the Revelations passage -- God will wipe away every tear from your eyes, no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain.
A: So, fear the Lord and follow His ways!
P: Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings! Help me to be steadfast in Christ! In Jesus' name, amen.
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