THE JOURNEY TOWARDS PROSPERITY

THE JOURNEY TOWARDS PROSPERITY

Every one wants to be prosperous. I believe that is the motivating factor behind many of the things that we do in this life. We dream about it, we think about it, we talk about it. Sa ating mga Pilipino masyadong inaasa sa gobyerno o sa mga pulitiko ang pag-unlad ng ating pamumuhay. Can the government deliver? Will our politicians serve us prosperity in a silver platter?
How does one become prosperous? This topic is very important that’s why many are using it or teaching it. In fact, it has already become a big business. In many seminars and gatherings the favorite topic is prosperity. People are willing to pay much just to be able to attend those seminars but sad to say only the lecturer gets rich. There are also many preachers who talk about prosperity every time they open their mouth.
Prosperity is really very attractive; it is not wrong. The Lord wants us to be prosperous. Why did God create all the riches in the world? To give it to the children of darkness? Or did He create all these for His children? Does God want His people to prosper? Or at least be sufficient? The question is HOW?
Some religious groups believe that to be holy you have to be poor. Is it biblical? What does God want for His children?

“For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. Every bird of the mountains and all the animals of the field belong to me” Psalm 50:10-11.
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one over all things. Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion the people are made great and given strength” 1 Chronicles 29:11-12.
We are going to study a series entitled THE JOURNEY TOWARDS PROSPERITY. It is a journey. It does not happen by chance or pure luck. It starts with a decision and a desire to be prosperous. After making a decision, it requires discipline.
In this journey, there are several steps. Let us begin with step one.

STEP #1: WORK HARD

It is only in the dictionary the prosperity comes before work. In reality work comes before prosperity. If you would succeed, work hard. The most miserable man in the world is the one who has no work to dedicate himself to. King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 3:22, “So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is why they are here!”


Thomas Edison sent the following recommendations to a youth assembly that requested a message from him:
1. Always be interested in whatever you undertake.
2. Don’t mind the clock, but keep at it, and let nature indicate the necessity of rest.
3. Failures, so called, are the fingerposts pointing out the right direction to those who are willing to learn.

Why should we work? What are the reasons for work? There are several reasons that we are going to discuss.

1. GOD COMMANDS US TO WORK.
Every able-bodied person is commanded to work. In Exodus 20:9, the Lord commands, “Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.” Six days of work and one day break. God commands that we should all work. Laziness is sin and it leads to poverty: “Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich” Ecclesiastes 10:4.
There are parents who let their children work for them. Their children sell cigarette, sampaguita, balut o hindi kaya ang mga bata ay ibinubugaw sa mga foreigners. While the parents stay home enjoying the fruits of their children’s hard labor.
It was commanded by God that we should all work. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11, it says, “This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands…” Why did Paul emphasize working with your hands? Because there are people who work with other people’s hands. Utos nang utos pero sila walang ginagawa.
The Bible says – make it your ambition to work with your hands. Godly people are working people. Ephesians 4:28 says, “If you are a thief, stop stealing. Begin using your hands for honest work…” Again, the Bible emphasizes “your hands.” The meaning of stealing here is not just the conventional meaning of stealing. It also means harvesting what you did not plant, borrowing money without paying, copying the answer of others during exam, submitting a requirement that is not the product of your own labor, enjoying something without any contribution is as good as stealing.
There are many reasons why our country is poor. Sometimes only one in a family of six or seven or ten is gainfully employed. All the rest are consumers. Hindi pa nga sumusuweldo ay nagastos na or naipangutang na o naipangako na ng ina sa hinuhulugang aircon.
So, we should all work and not steal. All able-bodied individuals are commanded to work. Tingnan nga ninyo ang inyong katabi, magnanakaw kaya iyan? Hindi naman mukhang magnanakaw, di ba? Don’t judge the book by its cover. Minsan pag pusturang-pustura, ang yabang-yabang, baka iyan pa nga. You will never be prosperous unless you work.
II. GOD COMMENDS WORK
We work because it is commended by God. Pinupuri ng Diyos ang mga nagtatrabaho. In the Bible, God commends a hard working woman. This commendation is found in Proverbs 31:13, “She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.” Siguro ang kamay ng huwarang babaeng ito ay hindi na hubog-kandila dahil siya ay hard worker o masipag. Hindi siya katulad ng ibang mga babae diyan na isang metro ang haba ng mga kuko. Kung sobrang flawless ang mga kamay, it’s either you have many servants or you’re just simply lazy. Hindi nakakahiya na may kalyo ang ating mga kamay dahil sa pagtatrabaho. Ngayon, kung masipag ka na at flawless pa rin ang iyong mga daliri , eh di mas mabuti!
It is important that we work because it is commended by God. Students, if you think school is boring, try working in the farm under the heat of the sun.

III. GOD EXEMPLIFIED WORK.
Another reason why we should work is this: Work is exemplified by God Himself. In Genesis 2:22, “On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work.”
God finished all His work in six days and rested for one day. Hindi kaya kalabisan kung mas marami tayong pahinga kaysa sa trabaho? God knows how to rest because He knows how to work. Ang ibang tao puro rest wala namang work.

IV. GOD PROVIDES FOR US AND PROSPERS US THROUGH WORK.
Another reason why we should work is this: it is God’s way and provision through prosperity. Work is God’s design for us. Workers earn their food. God gives every bird its food but does not drop it into the nest. Ang isang taong nagtatrabaho ay dapat kumakain. Isa sa ating matandang kaugalian ay ang bayanihan – nagpapatrabaho, tapos nagpapakain. Ang mga nagtatrabaho ay pinakakain. Ngayon, meron namang medyo makakapal. Hindi nagtatrabaho, pero pag oras na ng kainan nandiyan na, dadampot ng martilyo, gagawa ng konti, nagpapanggap. But you earn your food by working. Kahit sa ating pamilya, kung hindi ka pa gainfully employed, you earn your food by working. Do household chores. Kapag marunong ng humingi ng allowance, dapat marunong na ring magtrabaho. It is the way we earn our food. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, it says, “Even while we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘Whoever does not work should not eat.’” That is the way we earn our food.
We drink as much water as we want, inhale as much oxygen as we want, for what? Para lang maging walang silbi? Even fruit trees that do not bear fruit should be cut off according to Jesus. Hindi pwedeng puro dahon lang at walang bunga. Ganoon din ang mga tao – kailangan may bunga. Workers earn their keep and their wages through work.
This applies even to ministers of God who preach the gospel. Jesus said in Matthew 10:10, “Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with an extra coat and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.”

And then why should we work?

1. Work earns profit.
Proverbs 14:23 says, “All hard work brings a profit.” Hindi nakakahiyang magtrabaho at hindi nakakahiyang magtinda nang may tubo. Bakit ka magnenegosyo kung walang kita? Kaya kayo namang mga Christians – kung may negosyo ang inyong mga kasama sa church, huwag kayong hingi ng hingi ng discount. Bayaan niyo naman siyang kumita! We all should encourage industry and commerce among us. We are not meant to be poor. Many of us are poor because we have a poverty mentality, and we have a lifestyle that is designed for poverty. Workers earn profits. Workers open the channels to prosperity. According to Psalm 128:2, “You will eat the fruit of your labor.”

2. Workers earn good sleep.
King Solomon who was a worker himself said in Ecclesiastes 5:12, “People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much.”
Even good sleep is a gift of God. He grants sleep to those whom He loves. And napakasarap na pahinga ay yung pahinga ng mga taong pagod. Pero ang pahinga ng taong napapagod na sa kapapahinga, iyan ang walang kuwenta.




THE BLESSEDNESS OF WORK


If we want to be prosperous we have to work hard. God commanded us to work. He commended the woman in Proverbs for her hard work and He Himself exemplified work. In the creation account, He worked for six days and rested for one day. Work is also God’s way and provision through prosperity.
What about the blessedness of work? How does God bless work? God blesses work through….

I. GOD’S JUSTICE.
God’s justice requires that the worker be blessed. The Lord is the author of all natural laws and phenomena. He established certain formula that when do you something, that something will produce results. Isa doon ang work. When you work, you have a reward. That is a natural law. In Proverbs 24:12, it says, “Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” The justice of God will see to it that we get rewarded. So if you want to be prosperous, work.
Then there’s another angle to the blessedness of work.

II. GOD’S FAVOR OR GOD’S PLEASURE.
A man in the Bible named Job was a very rich man. Satan knew that God’s favor was with Job when he said in Job 1:10, “Yes, Job fears God, but not without good reason! You have always protected him and his home and his property from harm. You have made him prosperous in everything he does. Look how rich he is!
So there is such a thing as God’s favor or God’s pleasure.
There’s also such a thing as God’s withholding of a blessing. The Bible calls it curse. There are works that God despises or hates. Ecclesiastes 5:5-6 says, “It is better to say nothing than to promise something that you don’t follow through on. In such cases, your mouth is making you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.”
The context of this is that people make a promise or pledge to God but don’t fulfill it. We usually make a promise to God when we are in a desperate situation. (Lord, makapasar lang jud ko magsimba na jud ko pirme. Lord, mauyab lang nako na si _____ pwede na jud ko mabuang. Lord, maayo lang ko ihatag jud nako ang akong tibuok tithes, etc). But as soon as we recover from that desperate situation we immediately forget all the promise that we made and say, “My vow was a mistake.” What does the Word of God say? “That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.” God has the power to bless and He also has the power to destroy.
Favor is God’s prerogative. He alone decides who to bless. That’s why there are people who work just little but become prosperous, while there are also people who work so hard but do not prosper (farmers, ice cream/ice drop peddlers, laborers, cabinet peddlers, etc). Baka wala yung favor ni Lord. If God’s favor is not in our work, let us examine our tongue instead of questioning God.
If God’s favor is not with us, it has something to do with our tongue. Ecclesiastes 5:5-6 says, “It is better to say nothing than to promise something that you don’t follow through on…. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.”
Is there a way to override God’s destruction? Only when God puts a protective fence around us. Without God’s protection, we will be destroyed naturally, automatically. But God is so gracious; most of the time, in spite of who we are, He exempts us from the consequences of sin. But yes, the Lord can give favor, and the Lord can destroy one’s work just by withdrawing His protection.
We ask, “Why is he prosperous? Why am I poor?” Don’t blame God. Don’t examine other people’s lives. Examine your tongue. We are accountable for every word that we say. There is power in the spoken word. God spoke and everything came into existence.
Be careful with what you say, it might come back to you. Instead of cursing people, bless them instead. Say something nice or good about others. Para yun din ang bumalik sa inyo. Some people have the habit of complaining about how difficult life is. Some mothers love to talk about other mother’s daughter but comes back to their own daughter! Yung mga taong mahilig magsalita o mamintas ng ganito ganyan, iyon tuloy ang nangyayari sa kanila. So be careful with your words! Your words know your address.
God surely blesses godly work. Godly work is governed by several ethical standards.

1. Focused Work.
Godly work is concentrated. Hindi sabog-sabog. Kailangan may focus. Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters.” When you run after two ducks, you will catch neither. Kailangan may concentration.

2. Steadfast Work.
Godly work has steadfastness. Hindi dahil nabugnot ka, iiwan mo na. Hindi dahil hindi mo magawa, titigil ka na. Hindi dahil pagod ka na, aayaw ka na. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain during WW11, was asked to give a commencement address. He was introduced, and he stood up and said firmly, “Never quit!” and he sat down. This was probably the shortest commencement address in history.
Psalm 104:23 says, “Then people go off to their work; they labor until the evening shadows fall again.”
Godly work is steadfast; you labor until evening.
3. Righteous Work.
Work should be governed by righteousness. Ito at pagtatrabaho na walang halong pandaraya o kasinungalingan. Walang pagsasamantala. (Chinese businessmen sold siopao na carton ang palaman.) Proverbs 10:16 says, “The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.” Kaya huwag kayong mainggit sa mga kumikita ng malaki dahil sa paggawa ng masama.
Asaph, a worship leader in the Old Testament complained, “Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong? All I get is trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.” After considering the wealth, the life, the happiness of the wicked, Asaph became envious. But in the end he said, “Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My heart may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

4. Honest Work.
Proverbs 13:11 says, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.”

5. Industry.
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Kung puro satsat, puro salita, pero wala namang trabaho, it will bring only poverty. What is one great way to prosperity? Hard work.

Let’s glorify God through work. We worship through singing, we worship through dancing, we worship through giving – but people of God also worship through work. Work is one of the best ways to worship God.




THE JOURNEY TO PROSPERITY (Part 3)


All other things being equal, walang magulang na gustong makita ang kanilang mga anak na naghihirap. Pangarap ng bawat magulang na guminhawa ang buhay ng kanilang mga anak at hindi nila danasin ang mga hirap na kanilang pinagdaanan. If that is true with our earthly parents, how much more with our Heavenly Father. God does not want us to be poor. God created this planet and all its resources just so we could live in it and enjoy it and live to the fullest. Such a beautiful truth but does not reflect reality. Only those who have the most toys and money are seem to be living to the fullest. But reality cannot or does not change the truth that God wants His children to be prosperous much more than earthly parents.
God has established certain rules or steps that we have to follow for us to be prosperous. The first step is WORK HARD o magtrabaho ng puspusan. The second step is INVESTING o pamumuhunan – putting our blessings, properties, possessions in a place where they earn profit or they increase their value. To invest is to increase. Is this biblical? Let’s read Matthew 25:14-30:
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest for him while he was gone. He gave five bags of gold to one, two bags of gold to another, and one bag of gold to the last – dividing it in proportion to their abilities – and then left on his trip. The servant who received the five bags of gold began immediately to invest the money and soon doubled it. The servant with two bags of gold also went right to work and doubled the money. But the servant who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money for safekeeping.
After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of gold said, ‘Sir, you gave me five bags of gold to invest, and I have doubled the amount.’ The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
Next came the servant who had received the two bags of gold, with the report, ‘Sir, you gave me two bags of gold to invest, and I have doubled the amount.’ The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
Then the servant with the one bag of gold came and said, ‘Sir, I know you are a hard man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth and here it is.’
But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You think I’m a hard man, do you, harvesting crops I didn’t plant and gathering crops I didn’t cultivate? Well, you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest. Take the money from this servant and give it to the one with the ten bags of gold. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

STEP #2: INVEST

A bag of gold or talent is equivalent to $1000.00. The first servant was given 5 bags of gold or $5000.00, the second $2000.00, the third $1000.00. With the present exchange rate $1 = Php45, the first received Php225,000, the second Php90,000, and the third Php45,000.
What will you do if somebody gives you Php225,000? Ask also your friends. Kahit man lang sa guni-guni ay mag-enjoy ka!
A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The Lord gives capital to each one of us. We are all servants of God and we owe Him everything. He has given each of us capital to invest – it may be material like money or riches; it may be land or other possessions; it may be friends or connections na maaaring maging paraan para bumukas ang pinto ng kasaganaan. There is also the literal meaning of talent – ability, knowledge and imagination.
What is God’s basis in giving us capital or talent to invest?

I. WE ARE GIVEN ACCORDING TO OUR ABILITY TO RECEIVE AND INCREASE.
“He gave five bags of gold to one, two bags of gold to another, and one bag of gold to the last – dividing it in proportion to their abilities…” Matthew 25:15.
God gives us according to our ability to receive and ability to increase what we received. It has nothing to do with God’s stinginess. God is not stingy. He is a gracious God. The only limitation is our own ability to receive and increase. Do not accuse God of being unfair. “Bakit yung isa lima ang ibinigay samantalang yung isa isa lang? Napaka-unfair naman.” You have to consider first what is your ability. What’s the point of giving you five talents if you can’t even handle one? Ipagkakatiwala mo ba ang iyong kayamanan sa isang taong walang ginawa kondi ang magwaldas? Kaya wala tayong karapatang mainggit sa mga taong talented at nagiging mas talented pa o mayaman na, mas yumayaman pa. Ask yourself, “Napagyaman ko ba ang ibinigay sa akin? Napalago ko ba ito?” If the answer is no, then, we don’t have the right to demand for more. What will you do with Php225,000? Your answer to that question speaks strongly whether you are headed for prosperity or not.


1. HANDLING MONEY – THE FILIPINO WAY!
We, Filipinos, are more into spending than investing. Game show hosts would usually ask their contestants, “What will you do if you win 1 million pesos?” The most common answer: “A, bibili ako ng bahay at lupa. Wala pa kasi kaming bahay.” O hindi kaya, “Ipapaayos ko po yung bahay namin.” Atat na atat tayo diyan sa bahay at lupa. Kapag ang isang member ng family ay nag-abroad, malalaman mo na kumikita na siya doon kasi yung mga kaanak niyang naiwan magpapaayos na ng bahay o bibili ng bahay at lupa. Yung master’s bedroom, naka-aircon na, may terrace na, naka-tiles na ang sala, ang dog house may escalator na, etc.
Pagkatapos ng maraming taon na pagpapakahirap sa labas ng bansa, uuwi na ang Pinoy sa kanyang magandang bahay na kanyang naipundar.
Basically, that is the Filipino dream – to own a house. Well, it’s good to have a beautiful house. But if the flow of money is not sustained, mamaya nakasanla na rin yung bahay at lupa.
King Solomon in all his wisdom said: “Develop your business first before building your house” Proverbs 24:27.

2. THE BUSINESS MENTALITY OF THE FILIPINO-CHINESE
In the Philippines, those who have one syllable names control the economy – Sy, Ty, Tan, Ng, Yu, Uy. Two generations ago, these Chinese migrants were very poor. They came to the Philippines in search of a greener pasture. Back in China life was miserable – talagang sobrang hirap. Masuwerte na sila kapag may makakain na daga, kamote, at kung anu-ano. Pero ngayon sila ang may hawak sa mga malalaking negosyo sa Pilipinas. Kahit saang bayan ka magpunta, sila ang may hawak ng mga negosyo.
What happened? How have they become so rich? Simple. They know how to increase their money. Kahit iyan ay may pera, hindi agad yan bibili ng bahay at lupa. Ang gagawin nila, magrerent ng isang maliit na tindahan, magnenegosyo, titira sa isang gilid o sulok, at magtitiis. They live simply but they have lots of money. They know how to invest.
Students, we have to change our mentality - from spending mentality to investing mentality. Learn how to do business. Kahit gaano kaliit ang capital pwedeng lumago. Pwede kayong magbenta ng load, o hindi kaya magdala kaya ng mga produkto mula sa lugar ninyo katulad ng mga prutas na pwedeng ibenta pagbalik ninyo dito, o mag register sa direct selling, o hindi kaya magbenta kayo ng yema, ng pulboron, at kung anu-ano. If you know how to do business, hindi ka mawawalan ng pera. Do not just dream of getting a good job. Dream of giving jobs to people. Learn to invest.
What does God expect from those who received talents?



II. WE ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN.
In Matthew 25:16-17, we read, “The servant who received the five bags of gold began immediately to invest the money and soon doubled it. The servant with two bags of gold also went right to work and doubled the money.”
Notice the word IMMEDIATELY. Right after receiving the money, they invested it. That is what God expects. And what did God say to the one who did not invest what he received?
“Well, you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest” Matthew 25:27.
But what if you were born poor? What can you invest when you have nothing to invest, when what you have is not even enough for your daily existence? It’s not your fault if you were born poor. But if you die poor that already is your responsibility. We cannot choose our parents and the circumstances we were born with but we certainly can choose how we live. Mahirap maging mahirap lalo na yung ipinanganak na mahirap at namatay na mahirap. Kailan pa tayo makakaahon sa hirap kung ganyan?
Those who were born rich and those who were born poor are both given 24 hours a day. How you make use of it will determine the difference. The Lord expects our talents to be invested. And the Lord expects that they earn profits. The Lord expects profit from the capital that He gives us. Katulad nung binigyan ng limang talents at dalawang talents, pagkatanggap, nagtrabaho sila agad, nagsumikap. Hindi nila sinabing, “Saka na, next time, magpahinga muna tayo.”
How do we waste God’s resources and opportunities? We read this line in the parable: “But the servant who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money for safekeeping” Matthew 25:18.
Iisa na nga lang ang ibinigay, wala pang nangyari. If you want something done immediately, give it to someone who is busy.
We should be busy. Yung isa na isa na nga lang ang ibinigay sa kanya, inilubog pa sa lupa. There are people who are like that – wala na ngang papel sa buhay, bigyan niyo ng konting trabaho, hindi pa aasikasuhin. Paano kayo bibigyan ng mas malaking papel? When there’s a lot to be done rise to the occasion. Sleep less, work more. When there is more to do, you just have to work more. Because, to whom much is given, much is required. And remember: To those who deliver more, more will be given.