In our understanding of The Prosperous Life, it would do us well to understand exactly what God has said in His Word. Sometimes, what men say God said, He did not say at all. And sometimes, what God does say, men say He didn’t.

Such is the confusion when it comes to the record of the rich young ruler. This record has been used to say that to be a good follower of the Lord Jesus Christ; one must give away all his earthly goods to follow Jesus. Here are some quotes from the early church fathers:

Instead of the tithes which the law commanded, the Lord said to divide everything we have with the poor…… Irenaeus, 130-200 AD

The rich are in possession of the goods of the poor, even if they have acquired them honestly or inherited them legally. John Chrysostom, 347-407 AD

In my book Poverty Vs Wealth: Fundamentals of Prosperity, we cite even more. This wrong doctrine developed in the church because of the failure to read the entire context of the records in the Bible. It has grown and developed until poverty is still aligned with piety. Some parts of the church still take vows of poverty, and we regard them as very religious people living close to God. So let’s go read the record for ourselves and see what we can learn of The Prosperous Life, and pull back the curtain so we can see clearly.

• Mark 10:17-25  And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one (Luke calls him a ruler) running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.  And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.  And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.  And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!  And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

This is where most readers of this record stop. They rightly conclude that it is very hard for the rich (the rich who trust in their riches) to enter the kingdom of God. Then they wrongly conclude that all people need to renounce all worldly possessions. This is where the expression I heard many times growing up came from. Speaking of the preacher, “God, you keep him humble, and we will keep him poor.”

But if we continue to read, we find Jesus is not yet done with this situation, and his disciples wanted to know more just as we do.

• Mark 10:26-31 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

Apparently in this record, God has no problem with the amount of money a person has, it was the young ruler that had a problem. His possessions and prosperity, not God, came first in his life  He served the world, trusted in his riches, and loved his money more than he loved God. Jesus Christ realized this and attempted to help him. The record says “he loved him.”

Also note that if he had been willing to give it all away and put God first, God would have given it all back one hundredfold. So the issue was not that he was wealthy, but that he trusted his wealth.

God never told Job to give up his wealth, in fact in the end of the book of Job, God gave Job twice what he had in the beginning. God never asked Abraham to give up his wealth. In fact, Abraham acknowledged that God was the one that made him wealthy. God also stated that he gave Solomon riches in abundance as well as Hezekiah.

If we keep God first in our lives and trust in Him, it is His desire to prosper those that love Him and trust him.

As long as we keep God first in our hearts, love Him and trust Him, He will add to us all that we need. What we need is what God has promised in His Word that He will do for those that put their trust in Him.

The book Poverty Vs Wealth: Fundamentals of Prosperity,  pulls back the curtain in many more areas of prosperity. It is not a rehash of what you may have learned in the past. The information has helped many people, including myself, to understand what God really did say concerning The Prosperous Life.