ENJOYING ALL THINGS RICHLY
(week 05/10)
OLUBI JOHNSON
1 Timothy 6:17 MKJV: Charge the rich in this world that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, He offering to us richly all things to enjoy,
Here, the scripture tells us that God gives all things richly to enjoy.
What are these things?
In summary, God gives us good health, material wealth (and its attendant power: social and political influence) that is proportional to our spiritual wealth to enjoy as we fulfill the fullness of our destiny:
3 John 1:2 MKJV: Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.
In other words, the health and wealth God gives us can only be enjoyed richly if we use them to prosper spiritually: to grow into the perfection and fullness of Christ by perfecting the love of God in our lives and so use the attendant release of the Spirit without measure to fulfill the fullness of our destiny in this lifetime:
Romans 8:29 MKJV: For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers.
John 14:12 MKJV: Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father.
Mark 10:29-30 MKJV: and Jesus answered and said, Truly I say to you, There is no man that has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospel’s sake, (30) but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life.
1 John 4:15-18 MKJV: Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him and he in God. (16) And we have known and believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (17) In this is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, that as He is, so also we are in this world. (18) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He who fears has not been perfected in love.
If a man has good health and wealth, but never prospers spiritually, he will find that his life will not be fulfilling. There will always be a void, which he may never understand, that will not be filled in him.
Mark 8:36-37 ESV: For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (37) For what can a man give in return for his soul?
This is even true of men who are born-again but do not develop spiritually in this life: when they die they may go to heaven but will suffer loss; they will sense this loss in their hearts even though, they may not fully understand and comprehend what it means in detail:
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 MKJV: (11) For any other foundation can no one lay than the one being laid, who is Jesus Christ. (12) And if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, (13) each one’s work shall be revealed. For the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try each one’s work as to what kind it is. (14) If anyone’s work which he built remains, he shall receive a reward. (15) If anyone’s work shall be burned up, he shall suffer loss. But he shall be saved, yet so as by fire.
How then can we enjoy all things richly in this way?
By, like the Lord Jesus did in His lifetime on the earth, allowing God to train us to learn obedience by Christian suffering.
Hebrews 5:7-9 MKJV: For Jesus, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared, (8) though being a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. (9) And being perfected, He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him,
After we have suffered this spiritual training for a while: a period in our lives, God will perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us to enjoy all things richly and fulfill the fullness of our destiny for the rest of our life time.
1 Peter 5:10 MKJV: But the God of all grace, He calling us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, He will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Job 36:11 MKJV: If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in blessedness, and their years in pleasures.
This is what God did for Joseph: Joseph went through a time of training and suffering until he was about 30 years old: after which his dreams began to come to pass.
Genesis 41:41-46 MKJV: and Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. (42) And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand. And he dressed him with fine linen robes, and put a gold chain around his neck. (43) And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried before him, Bow the knee! And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. (44) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without a word from you, no man shall lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. (45) And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah. And he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, for his wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. (46) And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh King of Egypt. And Joseph went out from before Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
From the age of 30 years to the end of his life at 110 years (Gen. 50.26), Joseph enjoyed all things richly and fulfilled his destiny of saving his family and his generation from famine.
Genesis 45:3-9 MKJV: And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Is my father still alive? And his brothers could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. (4) And Joseph said to his brothers, Please come near me. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. (5) And now do not be grieved, nor angry with yourselves that you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life. (6) For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be no plowing nor harvest. (7) And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. (8) And now you did not send me here, but God. And He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house, and a ruler over all the land of Egypt. (9) Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, so says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me, do not wait.
In the same way, if we will submit ourselves to divine training and its attendant sufferings, we will enjoy good health, great wealth and power: all things richly as we fulfill the fullness of our divine destiny.
We will see how to do this in our article next week on understanding Christian suffering
