Dr. Lucas D. Shallua, an American dynamic speaker, entrepreneur and academician once remarked: “Love is like a seed, if nourished and taken good care, it grows and flourishes but if neglected and not taken good care, it stagnates and eventually dies.” Psalm 32:19 confirms: “They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.”
Flourishment is defined as: To grow luxuriantly. It includes thriving amidst adversity, achieving success and energising prosperity. Some people consider prosperity as solely relating to the visible items and assets that they own, but the true interpretation is far more pertinent than this. It also incorporates the prolific richness that one can find in life. This may include a fruitful relationship with God which can determine and enhance its essence. However, it should be borne in mind that wealth from prosperity is never certain and is often unreliable. Promises which specifically indicate that rewards will occur if one follows ungodly principles can never be guaranteed. St. Ignatius of Loyola once prayed: “Lord, teach me to be generous; Teach me to serve you as you deserve; To give and not to count the cost; To fight and not to heed the wounds; To toil, and not to seek for rest; To labour, and not to ask for reward - except to know that I am doing your will.” Luke 6:35-36 reminds us: “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
“Prosperity theology” is a belief amongst some Protestant Christians that wealth and physical well-being are the products of God and His will, and that faith, positive speech and donations to religious causes will increase one’s material wealth. It infers that the Bible is a contract between mankind and God. However, contracts often involve special terms, conditions and remuneration. It is believed that if humans have faith in God, He will deliver security and prosperity. This thinking has been criticized by various Christian denominations as irresponsible, promoting idolatry and contrary to the teachings of the Bible.
The story of Joseph is narrated in Genesis 37-50. Joseph is the most loved and firstborn son of the patriarch Jacob and his second wife Rachel. He is hated by his brothers, who are envious of his father's favours. He is gifted with a coat of many colours. He is subsequently seized by his brothers and sold into slavery. He is taken to Egypt where he eventually becomes steward to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials. God's providence had turned evil into good. Genesis 39:2-3 states: "And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand."
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States once remarked: “Prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity to be worshipped.” Prosperity not only relates to worth and the possessions we own, it may also be acquired from the way we think and function. It can become an essential part of our mindset. If we have a positive outlook on life, we stand more chance of achieving flourishment. If we are primarily negative in thought, the only thing we will experience is starvation from the true benefits in life.
God’s love and intention, when He formed the world in which we live, was not only to provide a safe habitat for every created thing, but for it to flourish. Although the creation He provided was perfect, good in every way and ample for our every need, He probably hoped and possibly expected it to be used purely as a basic foundation stone upon which to build and enhance.
Flourishment is inbuilt in all, but remains dormant in every human being until activated.
However, it can only be reached at the will of the respective individual. Trees and plants provide flourishment by creating foliage, fruit, a habitat for certain creatures and shelter from the damaging effects of the sun, wind and rain. Humankind has the ability to invent to progress forward and make life more comfortable. Without flourishment, there can be no growth. Ezekiel 47:12 confirms: “And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
A story is told of a self-centred man who ran a successful business in the city. His main purpose in life was to make and retain as much money as possible. His only exception to this principle was to experience a personal luxuriant lifestyle. He lived in a grand house on the banks of a river and employed several servants to make life as easy as possible for himself. He was thoughtless in nature concerning others and believed that life was all about him and no one else. His personal thoughts reminded him that he had worked hard in life for what he had attained, so why should anyone else share the benefit from it?
He was extremely frugal with money and paid his staff poor wages for their long hours of duty. They were obliged to commence their day at 06:00 and not consider themselves finished until 23:00. They worked seven days a week and were only allowed two weeks of unpaid holiday a year. If these conditions were considered unacceptable by any of the staff, they were welcome to leave of their own volition.
He owned two prestige cars worth many thousands of pounds. One was an antique Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and the other a modern Jaguar Sports car. His chauffeur was obliged to be on-call twenty-four hours of the day for seven days of the week in case he needed to travel at short notice in connection with his business or for personal reasons. His personal valet would call him at 07:30 each morning with a pot of tea, run his bath and lay out his attire for the day while he bathed. A full English Breakfast would be prepared for him while he dressed and presented to him in the dining room immediately he sat down.
One afternoon the vicar of the local church called on him to ask if he would be prepared to give a donation toward the replacement of the church roof which was in dire need of repair. The full repair would cost £50,000 to complete, but any amount he was prepared to give toward the cost would be gratefully received. The man’s immediate response was to say “No.” However, the vicar commended to take into consideration that life does not last forever and asked what value would his money be to him after he had passed away? He could not take it with him! Righteousness needs pursuit for the spirit to grow. He then reminded him of Matthew 19:24 which states: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
This was something that he had never contemplated and he began to wonder what would happen to him after death if he continued with his refusal to help? He re-evaluated his position and comments, prudently decided that money was not everything in life and that this was not the perfect measure to continue with. He felt compunction, removed his cheque book from the desktop drawer and immediately wrote and signed a cheque for the full £50,000. He handed it to the vicar and asked forgiveness for his errant ways. James 1:10-12 confirms: “And the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Amen.
