Focus: Material Success (Pt.2)

Text: Gen.26:12-14

"Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him."

The universe is only a part of God's wealth. He made it. Wealth is made; it is not something you suddenly, coincidentally or accidentally stumble upon. The psalmist says, "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods" (Ps.24:1-2). God is both creator and achiever. His acumen for success is infinite. He is industrious, creative and productive. 

Jesus Christ says, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." He says again, "I must be about my Father's business." God is into work and business. Our God is very enterprising. In Haggai 2:8, He says, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine…" In 1Chron.28:12, David says, "Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all." In Dt.8:18, Moses declares, "But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." 

Whoever told you that God is opposed to making money actually lied to you. God is not against you making money, but He is against you loving money, that is, making a god out of money.

In Genesis 1 and 2, we read about God creating, making, forming, building, dividing, causing, and so on. In six creative days God produced this massive universe in which we exist. In just six days He recorded a huge success. God never fails in any venture. When God made man, He left something of Himself in us - the capacity to succeed in any given enterprise or endeavor. If you don't succeed in this life, don't blame God.

God wants you to succeed in life, but in order for you to succeed you need to have something doing - work or business. No one succeeds in idleness. More than salary, we need strings of income. What are you doing to succeed materially and physically? God is pleased with you having money, but He is against money ruling over you and telling you what to do. Money is so important to our earthly existence that Jesus Christ spent so much time talking about it in different places, at different times and in different forms. Richard Halverson captures this point so well, for he wrote, "Jesus Christ said more about money than about any other single thing because, when it comes to a man's real nature, money is of first importance. Money is an exact index to a man's true character. All through Scripture there is an intimate correlation between the development of a man's character and how he handles his money."

Jesus is the teacher par excellence. He absolutely understands our psychology, physiology, sociology and ecology. He is the God of supernatural economics. The Bible is full of economic principles that work. In Isaiah 48:17, God says, "I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go." He can expose you to principles of success and prosperity. Ask Jacob, and he would tell you.

Esau boldly and proudly told Jacob that he had no need of his gifts, however huge or large they were. He said, "I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself." But Jacob persisted as Esau insisted, and said to him, "Take, I pray thee, MY BLESSING that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough" (Gen.33:9,11). The 'enough' of Esau is not the same as the 'enough' of Jacob. In the Hebrew, while Esau says, 'I have plenty of these things,' Jacob says, 'By the grace of God I have the abundance of all things.'

In Jacob's life favor and labor partnered together and he was greatly enriched. He experienced an all-round superabundance. His blessing transcended the material. His blessings were for time and eternity - blessings of both property and posterity, and of earthly and eternal existence.

Now let's ask, how did Isaac's blessing come about? The context, in which our text falls, informs us that Isaac planned traveling outside the country because of the severe famine in the land, but God came to him in a dream and stopped him, and assured him of His blessing if he stayed back. So Isaac obeyed God, and then decided to get involved in the farming business and animal husbandry. In just the space of a year Isaac recorded an amazing success in a land where a lot of people had tried to elope and relocate themselves abroad or wherever they could find greener pastures, and all in a bid to escape poverty and hunger. The Scripture says, "Then Isaac SOWED in THAT land, and RECEIVED in the same year an HUNDREDFOLD: and the LORD BLESSED him. And the man WAXED GREAT, and WENT FORWARD, and GREW UNTIL he became GREAT: For he had POSSESSION of flocks, and POSSESSION of herds, and GREAT STORE of servants: and the Philistines ENVIED him" (Gen.26:12-14). 

Isaac operated by a divine secret and a heavenly favor. He succeeded and excelled by industry. By the economic principle and strategy of heaven he made huge profits commercially. 

Divine favor succeeds in every climate when God's people play by God's rule. Can you see that greatness is both given and achieved?

Isaac, by diligence and industry, was able to make his own wealth and achieve personal greatness. He added to his father's wealth. Before Abraham died he bequeathed all his possessions to Isaac. Gen.25:5 says, "And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac." Now through efforts of his own Isaac has added to his father's wealth.

Child of God, let us labor for the kingdom of God while we have breath. It's time to do the will of God on earth as it is being done in heaven. Let's do all in our power to fund and advance God's purpose here on earth. Let's understand where true value lies. Let's understand why we are working or doing business. God requires the resources in our hands for His purpose.

Let's beware not to fall into the error of what Gordon Dahl pointed out concerning middle-class Americans. He said, "Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, to work at their play and play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are distorted, their relationships disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair, and their lifestyles resemble a cast of characters in a plot." 

Understand that all we do in the name of Jesus Christ falls into the category of worship. Our work for the Lord is worship. Don't take it lightly. Make what God wants your priority and commit yourself earnestly to it. God has great prosperity with your name on it. Go for it.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter