The preacher told another story of how thousands of dollars came in after he made an offering and assured the crowd the same would happen to them; and maybe it will; or not. In the west we tend to think that God’s blessing means money, or that material riches is a sign of God’s blessing. Many believe in the good life of Christian triumphalism and success, the really successful godly Christians all have beautiful wives, their children all have straight teeth and even if they’re not God will always provide money for braces and Harley-Davidson’s.   The message they preach seems to be if you become a follower of Jesus,  you will enjoy the good life, but even people like heathen kings were rich without God blessing.  You can be rich without the blessing of God, many are. You can get rich without God’s help; maybe even the devil will help you if it will keep you from Christ. Sure, Jesus said he came to give us an abundant life but what does that mean? Does it mean that God keeps us from harm, hurt, disease, despair, death, accident, injury and illness always and everywhere, right to the end of our lives, when we are whisked into heaven on painless beds of ease?  Does it mean that our marriage will be blissful every day of the year; that our children will be the top of the class and be spared freckles or pimples? Does it mean that we will get mortgages 2% lower than everybody else?

No friend, it means being completely loved and accepted by God for ever. It means having His divine peace within our hearts and the promise that He will be with us though all of lives blessing and challenges. And it means that every trouble is able to be used by Him to help us become more like Him.