October 17. The purpose of prosperity. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor

doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Ephesians 428.

There are three levels of how to live with material things.

One, you can steal to get them.

Two, or you can work to get them.

Three, or you can work to get in order to give. Too many professing Christians

live on level two. We glorify work over against stealing and mooching, and feel we have acted

virtuously if we have spurned stealing and mooching and feel we have acted virtuously if we have spurned stealing and mooching

and given ourselves to an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.

That's not a bad thing.

Work is better than stealing and mooching.

But that's not what the Apostle calls us to.

Almost all the forces of our culture urge us to live on level two, work to get.

But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three, work to get to give.

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times you may abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9 8. Why does God bless us with abundance

so that we can have enough to live on

and then use the rest for all manner of good works

that alleviate spiritual and physical misery, temporal and eternal suffering.

Enough for us, abundance for others.

The issue is not how much a person makes.

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