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Carnal Thinking VS. Given Eternal Wisdom



"Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones. Let me rejoice in the joy of your people; let me praise you with those who are your heritage."

In the view of the eternal, what are the definitions of success and prosperity?

By exposure, we know the world's definitions of these terms even if we can't eloquently put them into words. We've seen and heard the examples of them in the world around us. They're highly touted in the world's media with increasingly shameless promotion. They're shoved in our face at every opportunity and they're rooted in vanity, temporal pleasures, self gratification and self importance ... and they have a purposed date of expiration.

But to my simple mind, comes this self assessing question: do I worship and aspire to tout what is perishable, or do I seek Godly wisdom to pursue what profits me eternally knowing that I am created by God to be an eternal being? As an eternal spirit, I will live forever to reap the benefit of what I have sown on the temporary earth in this body, and this body will one day be destroyed. My spirit will live on - far beyond the lifespan of this decaying body. So what is true prosperity and what success is true and eternally profitable to my eternal spirit? Should the eternal not be my singular pursuit? What wisdom directs my life at this moment and defines the meaning of the words in question?

Man's innocence was lost in the Garden of Eden and sin was allowed to enter God's creation. So it stands to be counted true that in those who have not received divine redemption, sinful nature persists to be present. In them, sinful thinking continues to present itself around the redeemed and it continues to antagonize those with divided attention. But since we are eternal beings and we now recognize the value of the battle we're in, have we assessed our thinking? Has our thinking, like our future, been separated from that of the world?

Even if we now stand redeemed, the enemy of our souls knows (likely better than we) that most of the promises of our God and the power of our new identity are predicated to a large degree on our obedience and submission to our Creator and His wisdom. The enemy of our God, who's out to destroy anything that belongs to Him, knows that if we remain subject to any amount of worldly thinking or perspective then we have left him a foothold in our lives. satan can use worldly thinking and standards to tempt us and shame us into compromising the power and promise of our inheritance in Christ.

So what is the eternal perspective and definition of success and prosperity? Our Father God in His wisdom knew that we would need to have and understand these things and that we would be forced to attempt to acquire them under fire from the enemy. So in His grace to us, He gave them in His written Word and also with His Holy Spirit to give us understanding of them. But if our devotion and attention are divided by the spirit of this world, then our quest to attain them is compromised also.

In a world of compromise and self intellect, we will remain subject to eternal poverty until we discipline ourselves and truly make an effort to consecrate ourselves to the God who is not subject to, but reigns over and above the world's perspective. Our focus cannot be divided in this effort to find and understand what it is that frees us from the domination of failed thinking and living. Our submission to our God's teaching and perspective cannot be half hearted or dictated by the acceptance of the worldly because our enemy is not weak and he's not without understanding of our weaknesses. He will prey on them continually until we come to stand in the Spirit of the Living God and on the pure truth of His Word.

But even in this effort we have to remain unerringly humble and submissive to the Holy Spirit, deeply entwined in a most intimate relationship with the Sovereign Lord to avoid becoming religious. Religion by itself is dead, it's an abomination to what our Lord desires from us. The Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day were religious and He reviled their dedication to their ceremonious religion. It's the intimacy and the fellowship of a consecrated and wholly committed relationship with each of us individually and corporately that the awesomely sovereign God who rules over all that exists desires from us in His heart. He's told us how to get there, but the rest is up to us.

What are His definitions of success and prosperity? Are they yours also? Where do we stand with the sovereign and unchangeable truth? Have we taken the time to really know? Food for thought ...


Ecclesiastes 4:4
Then I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind.




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