Everyone has been raving for quite sometime now about Joel Osteen's book Your Best Life Now. I read it over a year ago, and I must admit, it did make me feel positive about my future and about God's plans for me. But even then, I was already wary about the author's emphasis on financial and material rewards. My thinking is that to those who aren't too steeped in the gospel, the book poses a twisted, if not a totally misleading teaching about God's real purpose for man.
In essence, Osteen posits that God intends to bless us financially and that all we have to do is to ask Him boldy and be very specific in asking what we want. There's really nothing wrong with that message. But to quote Adam Key, author of the book Your Best Lie Now (which was written precisely to counter the teachings of Osteen), "(p)rosperity gospel is causing the Christian to dwell on money, financial blessings, and is creating God to be more of a bank than an Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent creator and savior to mankind. They are turning faith into an idol, and are not preaching the depravity of man and the need for Jesus in our lives."
Though I wouldn't go as far as saying that Osteen's teaching that God intends to reward us financially is entirely wrong, I agree with Key's position that prosperity gospel is diverting our attention from the real reason why Christ came: to save us from our sins and to give us access to the throne of the Father. It would be wise to be reminded that in the words of Jesus Himself, He came so that we may have life and life in its fullness. The advocates of prosperity gospel might argue that life in its fullness precisely means having financial rewards. But this argument does not hold water when one considers the simplicity of life that Christ Himself led. To construe the phrase "fullness of life" to mean that the only way God can bless us is through material wealth would be to run counter to His teaching that it is not by bread alone that man shall live but by the words of the living God. Today's first reading taken from Romans 8:18 drives home this point. It states that "our present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us." Indeed, if there's something at all that we should look forward to, it's not the material rewards that we can obtain in this life but the eternal joy that can be only found in the presence of our God.
Osteen may be partially right. I won't be a hyprocite and say that I don't pray for material blessings. God's love would certainly compel Him to bless us. But in what form and when? We can't say. To equate material rewards with His love, and to limit the manifestations of His love to the amount of wealth He blesses us with, would definitely be an erroneous interpretation of the gospel.
Personally, I firmly believe that whatever God intends to do in my life, even if it includes not being able to accumulate wealth in this lifetime, He shall do out of His generosity and abundant love for me. I'm not exactly overflowing with wealth at this point but no one can say that I'm not living my best life now. Most certainly, no preacher can define for me what that is.
In essence, Osteen posits that God intends to bless us financially and that all we have to do is to ask Him boldy and be very specific in asking what we want. There's really nothing wrong with that message. But to quote Adam Key, author of the book Your Best Lie Now (which was written precisely to counter the teachings of Osteen), "(p)rosperity gospel is causing the Christian to dwell on money, financial blessings, and is creating God to be more of a bank than an Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent creator and savior to mankind. They are turning faith into an idol, and are not preaching the depravity of man and the need for Jesus in our lives."
Though I wouldn't go as far as saying that Osteen's teaching that God intends to reward us financially is entirely wrong, I agree with Key's position that prosperity gospel is diverting our attention from the real reason why Christ came: to save us from our sins and to give us access to the throne of the Father. It would be wise to be reminded that in the words of Jesus Himself, He came so that we may have life and life in its fullness. The advocates of prosperity gospel might argue that life in its fullness precisely means having financial rewards. But this argument does not hold water when one considers the simplicity of life that Christ Himself led. To construe the phrase "fullness of life" to mean that the only way God can bless us is through material wealth would be to run counter to His teaching that it is not by bread alone that man shall live but by the words of the living God. Today's first reading taken from Romans 8:18 drives home this point. It states that "our present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us." Indeed, if there's something at all that we should look forward to, it's not the material rewards that we can obtain in this life but the eternal joy that can be only found in the presence of our God.
Osteen may be partially right. I won't be a hyprocite and say that I don't pray for material blessings. God's love would certainly compel Him to bless us. But in what form and when? We can't say. To equate material rewards with His love, and to limit the manifestations of His love to the amount of wealth He blesses us with, would definitely be an erroneous interpretation of the gospel.
Personally, I firmly believe that whatever God intends to do in my life, even if it includes not being able to accumulate wealth in this lifetime, He shall do out of His generosity and abundant love for me. I'm not exactly overflowing with wealth at this point but no one can say that I'm not living my best life now. Most certainly, no preacher can define for me what that is.
3 comments:
Hi Sis! I have not read yet Adam Key's e-book but I realized, ndi ko pa masyado nanamnam ang laman ng book ni Joel Osteen hehehe kasi nung binasa ko siya, na enlighten ako at na inspire ako ng sobra pero ndi masyado na focus ung mind ko doon sa material rewards na sinasabi nila na pinepreach ni Joel (kailangan ko yata i re read ung book, hehehe). Ngayon ko nga lang nalaman na ganun pala ang iniimply nung teachings niya. Ewan ko, may mga nakita ung iba na ndi ko nakita, I guess. Ung material rewards na sinasabi nilang inoover emphasize ni Joel, di ko napansin. Ang napansin ko lang ay ung naituro niya na maging positive sa maraming bagay. When I read the book kasi, that was the point in my life that I was full of negativity and I was contemplating on resigning but when I read the book, I realized I am lucky, sobrang lucky. Ung material rewards, sobrang di ko talaga napansin ung teaching niya na ganun. Marami kasi siyang cinite na instances about sa work sa book niya na sobrang "Ouch" sa akin. Medyo doon na focus ung mind ko. God bless sis :)
hi sis. i think,kanya-kanya yan talaga. good for you if you didn't focus on the material rewards. that means that your heart is really turned to the Lord. if the book has touched you positively, then well and good. ako din naman, when i read it, i became positive about god's plans.maybe it should be noted lang that while the book is filled with many inspiring teachings which are really true, the emphasis should be on giver and not on the gifts. every reader, i suppose, would a have different take on this. no one has the right to impose his/her beliefs. so read the book and to the extent that it helps you, paniwalaan mo.
on another matter, i hope we could talk one time in one of our gatherings. ;)
Thanks sis. Ay sure, sana nga we could talk some time. For sure naman marami pang chances, hehehe. Pinpromote ko nga palagi site mo sa ibang sisters pati site ni bro Ted and Sis Ella :) As in, araw-araw, chinecheck ko kung may bago, hehehe. Continue to inspire others thru ur writings :)
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