I am not trying to promote the pompous prosperity gospel that has become both infamous and popular at the same time. Beyond riches, miracles, and shouts of praise in the churches lies a profound revelation: knowing God as a person, not merely as an entity.
There is much in the Bible about success, riches, and glory. In fact, these are all promises of God to every Christian. Yes, every believer ought to be successful, rich, and prosperous in whatever they commit themselves to. Unfortunately, that is not the case in reality. We see broke, rich, middle-class, and extremely wealthy people. Many wonder: How is it that some Christians are rich while others remain average or even grow poorer?
Different Paths and Perspectives
This question has a lot of context and can be answered in many different ways. Some Christians may simply decide to let go of pursuing money and success in order to concentrate on Christ. Others may be lied to, even deceived by their church leaders and end up wasting their financial lives on offerings without precaution. Some may actually use religion as a platform to take advantage of others and grow wealthier. There are many other paths as well.
The words “riches,” “success,” and “prosperity” vary and hold completely unique meanings for each of us, especially in a Christian context. Some people may believe that aligning their lives with God is success. Others may see accumulating more money as greater wealth. Still others may view the church expanding in numbers as kingdom prosperity. All of these people are right in their own directions. But the question remains: How do we obtain this richness, prosperity, or wealth the Christian way? Or how can faith make our lives better?
The Formula: What Do You Have?
Let us look at the instance when Jesus fed about four thousand people in Galilee. Matthew 15:32-34 (NKJV)
Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”
Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
The disciples had only seven loaves and a few pieces of fish, yet Christ wanted to feed four thousand. The same question would be asked of you: What do you have? What do you want to achieve, or what is your definition of success?
There is a verse that says that to him who has, more will be given, but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away (the Parable of the Talents). That is why Christ asked them what they had in that moment. It does not have to be seven loaves or a few fish. It could be a skill you learned from your mother, your school degree, your talent, a job opportunity—anything of value in your possession. This is all Christ needs. He needs something to work with—even faith.
Christ cannot work in you without faith. It is like the yeast in the dough. See what Jesus did with the seven loaves afterward. Matthew 15:35-38 (NKJV)
So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus broke the bread and gave it to the disciples, and they in turn gave it to the people. The disciples, of course, represent you and me. He gave thanks and broke it, and somehow it multiplied. I do not know how either, but faith can fill in the blank.
We see later that everyone was fed, and the leftovers amounted to seven more baskets. From seven loaves to seven baskets of leftover crumbs—while the multitude ate to fullness.
Was the lesson here only about feeding the hungry, or was it about how powerfully the hand of God can work through those who trust Him—His disciples?
Getting Rich by Faith
That is how you prosper by faith: by utilizing the little God has already entrusted to you, without worrying about what might go wrong tomorrow or how much you seem to need in the moment. It is not really about having more resources; it is about relying on God while using the little you have.
There His hand will work far more than you expect. Your faith will be the measure of how much of His power can be manifested in your life. The very same principle was at work in the days of drought during the time of Elijah, when he lived with the widow who had only one jar of oil and a little flour left. In a remarkable way, the flour and oil never ran out until the drought was over. Even more of this power can be present in your life if you are willing to let go of your worries and trust Him.
