We’ve seen that we’re to be faithful stewards of what the Lord blesses us with.  We’re to tithe and give offerings.  Offerings go beyond the tithe.  In Malachi, God is bringing reproof, and he says, “Ye have robbed Me.”  “And how have we robbed You?”  “You’ve robbed Me in your tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8).  These offerings are varied.  There are offerings for the temple of God, for the tabernacle of God.  There are offerings for the poor; many different offerings available to us to honor God; to be able to establish this covenant.  We’re to have willing hearts, and every man is to purpose in his own heart, the Scripture says, what to give to the Lord.

In order to be a good steward, wisdom is so necessary in our lives.  And “Riches and honor,” He says, “are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness” (Proverbs 8:18).  I like that word “durable” because the Scripture also makes it very clear that riches cannot be trusted in.  So, if you’re going to get riches, then, we’d like them to be durable riches.  Of course, in the context, these durable riches come from our communion, our fellowship, our intimacy with His wisdom.  What is the wisdom of God?  The Word of God.  What does the Word have to say about how I deal with this abundance that God gave me?  Let me just throw one thing in the pot here while we’re thinking about that.  Can I remind you that God is not the only source of prosperity in this world?  Because the god of this world took Jesus up on a mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the earth and said, “These are all mine to do with as I please.  Just bow down and worship me, and I’ll give you all this wealth, all this power” (Matthew 4:8-9).  “It is written” (verse 10); amen?  Don’t think that everything that is increase or abundance is necessarily coming from God.  Satan will gladly prosper you, and in fact, give you the whole world, but what will it profit you to “gain the whole world and lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36).  It’s amazing how we’re so familiar with that passage that we can even lose the magnitude, the power of that statement.  What does it profit a man?  The world’s system gets their prosperity from the god of this world, Satan.  We want durable riches.  Durable riches are those that are obtained by, and mandate that we walk in, the wisdom and Word of God.

1 Timothy, Chapter 6, has some of the clearest New Testament passages on biblical prosperity and the responsibilities of the rich that are among us.  Let’s remember something, it is the sovereign purposes of God that bless you.  It’s not your own strong arm; it’s the blessing of God.  We can see it throughout the Scriptures.  We see it in Abraham.  We see it in Joseph.  There’s no limit to how God can promote us in this world; amen?  He raised up some people that we would never have suspected and made them kings; and made them some of the richest men in the history.  Solomon followed in the footsteps of his father, and the way he got so rich was not asking for riches.  Amen?  He asked for wisdom.  And God said, “Because you’ve not asked Me for riches, because of your integrity, because you’ve sought wisdom and how to properly care for the people of God, the sheep of My pasture, I’m going to give you riches” (2 Chronicles 1:11).  And he became one of the richest men that ever lived.  If you want to have durable riches, don’t seek them.  Because it’s “the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow” (Proverbs 10:22); amen?  Don’t seek riches; seek God!  Seek the source.  Seek His honor.  Seek to establish his covenant.  That’s what Solomon’s original statement was to the Lord.  And God will delight in blessing you.  He delights in the prosperity of His children.