“Prosperity or Prostitution?”...the Wayfarer...5/10/14

“Prosperity or Prostitution?”

5/10/14

“And it shall be when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not,

And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not: when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

(Deuteronomy 6:10-12)

Prosperity is a state of wellbeing, for either an individual or for a nation. The means of attaining that prosperity determines the worth that is placed on that prosperity, and what is deemed as being prosperous.

Inevitably, when prosperity is inherited through generations, the work that was done to attain that prosperity is forgotten by those, who did none of that work, and, therefore have no concept of the struggle that was endured to attain it.

Prosperity is in the eye of the beholder: One having no place in which to take shelter sees prosperity in any who may have the simple abode of a shack with walls and a roof that provide that shelter, no matter how poor the owner of that shelter may feel.

Though sought by all, prosperity, true prosperity is attained by few, and indeed, fewer today than ever before.

What was once considered riches beyond comprehension are available, en masse, to many who fail to realize the prosperity that they have been given.

The accoutrements of a modern society, so enjoyed, by nations considered by all the rest of the world to be prosperous are vastly beyond what was once available to kings and nobles, in quantities, and, used by those deemed by those countries to be among the “poor”.

Indoor plumbing is still an item that is held by only the “rich” in many parts of our world. The refrigeration and cooking stoves found in the houses of all within a huge majority of homes in the western societies is another item considered a necessity, instead of a luxury.

Education of the children, both male and female are another item considered to be a necessity, not the luxury of those rich enough to afford it in so many areas of a world far less prosperous than what is considered by some to be valueless poverty.

Forgotten is the necessity to work to maintain the very staples of life, food to be put on the table, housing and shelter, good clean water to drink ,and in which to bathe.

Greed has fallen on these societies, forgetting that what was built by others, was done through sweat, hard work, and with the blessing of that same God that blessed Israel.

Great and goodly cities abound in various corners of the continents, built from the gifts of the earth given by God Himself, whether they be built of stone, concrete, steel, or any other material that man had no hand in creating, but, that the forbears of those living in those cities eked from those very gifts given by God.

Just as Israel was warned of the time to come that God would be forgotten, and, that all that was given, would be enjoyed by those not having to put forth the effort to have those blessings without care or thankfulness for what was given, so too do most societies forget, fail to put forth any further effort to maintain and provide for the generations to come.

“For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.”

(Proverbs 1:32)

The very richness enjoyed by these societies has encouraged covetousness and greed for ever more and more of all the things of a world they may inhabit only as long as allowed by our God.

Just as other “Great civilizations” fell into ruin as they rampaged in wantonness, with no fear of any laws given them by God, that, if followed would provide in perpetuity the needs of their children, and assure the continuance of nations living in peace with each other.

Instead of seeking the prosperity that is provided by honoring and worshipping God, in Spirit and Truth, these societies, and the individuals within them that perpetuate that greed, have prostituted themselves to that very greed.

“They angered him also at the waters of strife, to that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:

Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them:

But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.

And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.

Yea, they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils,

And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.”

(Psalm 106:32-39)

The prostitution of the people of these grand societies, many of which claim affinity and loyalty to that same God, continues today.

The idols being served come in the shape of natural resources, trade agreements that are one sided and benefit only the greedy, territory claimed by groups who have no vested interest in them other than their own greed.

The sacrifices to these idols continue to be given in the blood of the innocent, the same sons and daughters of those who claim allegiance with God, but seek only the rewards given through the greed and avarice that inhabits what should be and is a soul.

It is that habitation of that greed and avarice and all the wantonness and lusts of the world that will not allow them to acknowledge that soul, will not allow them to comprehend the prosperity that was given them for their safekeeping by none less than God Himself.

That greed propels them to pass more and more laws that stand in denial of that God, stand in denial of the prosperity given them, stand in denial of all that is Holy. Instead they go whoring ever onward in the search for their own inventions and ways.

Just as past deliverance was forgotten, and demeaned by the behavior of the generations that followed in that promised land of Israel, so too is forgotten the deliverance, mercy and blessings given through having honored that same God.

The final means to the salvation of Israel was given on a cross in the suffering of a macabre and difficult death by God’s own Son, in an act of mercy and grace, only to be rejected by that same headstrong willful people who continued to forget God and what is owed Him alone.

It is through that Son that hope for any and all is still given. It is through that Son, that sacrifice made, and more importantly through the resurrection that overcame death and sin of all types to include that avaricious greed so prevalent, that true prosperity is still attainable.

Just as Israel was warned time after time to turn back from the whoredoms they chased, the idols taken, so to have we been warned of what is in store for any refusing to hear the simple message of love given by that Savior:

“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

The single commandment left by our Savior must take precedence over the greed that still leads to those sacrifices of innocent blood given for temporal and temporary prosperity, denying eternal prosperity intended for us.

I close in prayer that God hear the pleas for mercy by those who recognize that true prosperity, and what is required to attain it, both while here in this temporal and temporary body, but more importantly those seeking eternal prosperity through the grace and mercy that exists only for those who refuse to forget.

I remain still, and yet, that same simple sinner saved by the Grace of God from Whom all blessings flow, from Whom all prosperity of any worth may be derived, only because of the faith I have in His gift  of the prosperity of eternal life given me only through the sacrifice of His Son Christ Jesus.

I remain also the soldier, still walking my post until such time as I may be relieved, guarding against the wiles of that whoredom that continues daily around me, stealing all prosperity, both physical and spiritual if followed, loudly proclaiming to all that simple message of redemption through repentance, and that short but all-encompassing commandment to love one another as is demanded of us.

 That love must, and does extend to the warning, as well as the warm fuzzy, preached by too many, sought by too many without that remembrance of what that true prosperity is and from Whom it comes.

2 Timothy 1:12 ¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer