Friday Word: Prosperity, Contentment & Hope

This week's Final Word comes from our friend and co-founder of generationalive.org,  Mr. Jeremy Affeldt.  Jeremy is also a relief pitcher for the MLB west contending San Francisco Giants and a close personal friend of Pastor Brant.  Jeremy has also donated to the many causes including the Theo fund as well as donating several sports memorabilia for the auction.  Thanks Jeremy!  And thanks for keeping it real in life as well as on the blogosphere!  

Prosperity, Contentment & Hope

I don’t look at someone who makes $30,000 a year and think that they’re a charity case. They’re not! But a lot of wealthy people do think that way. They’ll look at someone in that income bracket and say things like, “Oh, man, you need help,” or, “Good thing I didn’t make choices like that.”

Can you believe that? I know that’s the wrong view. It’s possible to live on $30,000 a year and have everything you need. And if you feel like you have everything you need, or if you feel like you have everything you can imagine needing, then you understand prosperity. You’re content! You know that it’s okay.

I don’t mean to say that everyone making $30,000 a year is prosperous and content. Honestly, if someone asked me, “Could you live off $30,000 a year?” I would have to reply, “No, I couldn’t.” Not with three sons. I really couldn’t. But when I was in Double-A in Wichita, I made $600 a month and I lived just fine. So at that time, I could. I really could. It was okay!

I’m telling you man, you can’t go around looking at people’s incomes and say, poor them. You can’t decide to feel sorry for people based on what they make. Look at them first. Are they happy? Are they smiling? Then they are content! It’s okay!

We’ve got the wrong idea of prosperity. Prosperity is not financial. Prosperity is life. Prosperity is wholeness. Prosperity is joy.

A prosperous life, for me, is to see my kids grow up to be respectful people, honoring their mother and their father. I want my boys to honor their mom. Not fear her. Honor her. I want them to serve her. (That’s partly my job. They’ll learn that by seeing me serve her.) Prosperity, for me, is knowing that my wife loves me. She doesn’t hate me, she loves me. My kids love me. They don’t fear me, they love me. My friends and I have a good time. The bills are paid. These are all reasons why I know I’m a prosperous man.

And there’s just one other thing. There’s the promise of the resurrection. That’s hope. A prosperous life is a hopeful life, and the resurrection is our hope.

It’s just like God to set things up that way. He created our hope. He hasn’t fulfilled His promise yet for a reason, but we are living on that hope. We are always anticipating. We just know that there’s got to be something better. When you ask someone, “How’s your life?” and they say, “Perfect,” they’re not telling the truth. I promise you that. Nobody’s life is perfect, because hope hasn’t arrived.

Don’t worry if things aren’t perfect. Not everything’s going to be perfect, because it’s not meant to be. We’re meant to feel anticipation, because we’re hoping for God. Deep in our souls, we know something isn’t right, not just yet. Deep in our souls, we know He’s coming. I know there are people who suffer depression because they’re not fulfilled, but be comforted. We’re not meant to be fulfilled yet, and that’s okay.

Excerpt taken from, http://jeremyaffeldt.wordpress.com/2012/08/18/prosperity-contentment-and-hope/