Tuesday October 23, 2018

 

As I write this blog today I’m at the LaGuardia airport waiting to fly back home; I’ve been bumped up to First Class and while I wait I’m setting in the Centurion Lounge having a delicious lunch while someone cleans up after me. Wow, how much God has blessed me!

 

With the growing popularity of the prosperity gospel things have been turned up side down. God is no longer in the position of Lord and king but rather in the position of plebian and servant. In the book of Isaiah in the 43 chapter God himself say’s: “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.” When you listen to today’s prosperity gospel you’d think that God exist for our glory; you’d thing that he exist to serve us. That’s why so many people wake up ever day and present all their petitions to God and if he doesn’t respond promptly some people get made at him and even threaten not to go church.

 

The truth is that God loves to bless and even prosper us but make no mistake we were created to bless and serve God, not the opposite. I have nothing against prosperity but prosperity needs to be placed in the proper context. God prosper not for our sake but rather for His sake. Let’s look at Esther’s story as an example; God takes her from being a poor orphan child born in exile to being the queen of Persia the most powerful nation on earth at the time. But this had more to do with God’s glory then it had to do with Esther’s glory. God had position her to rescue his people and thus receive the Glory.

 

It was up to Esther, would risk everything she had gained; even her life? Or would she continue on her blessed way and ignore the proclamation decreeing the death of every Jewish person living in Persia? Esther choose to risk it all not only her position but even her life.

 

“If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared. – Esther 7: 3 NLT

 

The only reason Esther had to plead for her life was because she had chosen to plead for the lives of the Jewish people. She could have stayed quiet and her life and her position would have not been in danger. But she understood that her life, position and prosperity was given to her for Gods sake and not her own.

 

To walk in Esther’s shoes is to use everything you have for Gods purposes and not your own.