Prosperity is Not Righteousness
Job 21:30 In Job's discourse to his friends about prosperity, he points out that just because someone is doing good financially, it does not mean that they are being good. The wicked (unsaved) will go to hell no matter if they are rich or poor.
9/5/20261 min read
For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; They shall be brought out on the day of wrath. Job 21:30 (NKJV)
Job responds to his friends' accusations that sin in his life has brought God's judgement down on him by questioning why the wicked live well, become old, and are mighty in power without any consequences. They spend their days in wealth and then go down to the grave without ever praying to or serving the Lord. Job makes the point that prosperity does not necessarily mean that someone is righteous and even though they seem to escape immediate judgment, they are held for a future day when God’s wrath and justice will be fully revealed.
Just like in Job's friends, Christians have equated loss of prosperity to sin in people's lives, assuming the poor have rejected Jesus leading to their situation. When we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, God promised to provide for us, but he did not say anything about making us rich. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” God will provide for you and if he provides more, he wants you to use it for His good purposes. James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” God may not provide what we want, but we need to remember that He already provided us what we need, and that is eternal life with Him. “Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” – Proverbs 11:4
Choose to live in righteousness and not prosperity, by putting your treasures in heaven instead of earthly desires. It is ok to want "stuff" but realize that it is just stuff and not more important than Jesus, because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Pray daily to God, asking Him to provide for your needs and giving Him all the glory for what you have. When you have a mindset that it all belongs to God in the first place, you will be contempt with what He has given you. Remember that prosperity is not righteousness, so choose to honor Him in your prosperity, bringing the unsaved to Christ and making them righteous through Him.