Prosperity – Page 2 – Three Minute Bible

May 11, 2020May 12, 2020

Jude 1: 14b — Enoch’s Prophecy

several piles of gold coins each larger than the last.

See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

I am a little out of my depth when we get the End Times Prophecy department. Pr. Rich is the expert in that area as far as I am concerned. So outside of taking a contextual look at Enoch’s prophecy, let’s take a specific look at this passage and see what we can learn.

First, Jude is using a source of information on this topic that is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. This is new information about Enoch.

February 19, 2020February 19, 2020

Wisdom Wednesday – The Prize

My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,

for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.

— Proverbs 3: 1-2

What do you want out of life? Do you know? Are you looking for things to do that will shorten your life? Do you like to suffer? Are you the kind of person who enjoys going hungry?

Of course not!

Nobody in their right mind (and I grant you that there are people who are not in their right mind!) wants to die young. So hopefully we can agree that it is desirable to prolong life and enjoy the time in peace and prosperity.

January 15, 2020January 15, 2020

Wisdom Wednesday – A Tale of Two Mowers

For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Proverbs 2: 6-8

Does anybody want wisdom anymore? Is that even a “thing” these days? How about knowledge? What is that, anyway? People seem to claim different things as being true. They want me and you to accept what they claim is knowledge regardless of whether it makes any sense or not. Which brings us to “understanding.” Whose do we use, anyway?

The problem in a society where everyone wins and no one loses is expectations. When people who never lose grow up they continue to expect to be treated as a winner, even if their ideas are losers.

For example, let’s take two neighbors; Harry and Larry. Harry is a humble man, attentive to the Lord, and always looking for the “right” thing to do. Larry, who lives next door, is generally full of himself. As far as he is concerned, he is always “right” and doesn’t need to bother with learning from anyone else.

January 2, 2020January 2, 2020

The Perfect Gift – James 1: 17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

What did you get for Christmas this year? Did you enjoy receiving a gift? Was it a good gift? Was it perfect? Does it need batteries? Does it break? Does it wear out? Did you have to return it?

December 24, 2019December 25, 2019

Santa’s List – James 1: 10-11

But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

James’ letter is a lot like Santa’s List. Most of us have heard about Santa Clause, and how, like God, he knows if we have been “naughty” or “nice.” The modern legend of Santa goes back to a real-life believer in God, a man whom we know as Saint Nicholas.

Like St. Nick, James is concerned about how people behave toward each other and whether or not having material possessions is clouding their judgment. Why would this be a problem for the early church?

December 22, 2019December 23, 2019

Psalm Sunday – Psalm 1: 3

That person [the one who delights in the law of the Lord] is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

Good Soil

There is something you may have heard about called the “prosperity gospel.*” I acknowledge this because it is a hot topic for many Bible-believing Christians. In the study of James that we just started James dives right in by talking about “trials of many kinds.” Paul, in his letter to the Romans (Chapter 5) starts with a discussion of sufferings and how believers are to “glory in our sufferings” (vs 3). So there is a potential for confusion. Some verses, like today’s, offer the hope of prospering while others talk about the reality of suffering. Yet I firmly believe that “all scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16).

So what do we make of this?