Thursday, June 28, 2012

To Prosper, Meditate on His Word, Pray in the Spirit

Before we see our lives prosper on the outside, we must allow the Holy Spirit to prosper us on the inside:

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)

Here, "prosper" renders the Greek word " εὐοδόω, euodoó, which means "to prosper, to have a happy journey."

Another scripture

"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all." (1 Timothy 4: 15)

The Greek word for "meditate" is μελετάω meletaó, which  means"to devise, plan; practice, exercise myself in, study, ponder", specifically to ponder and care for, in intense study.

"Profiting" is προκοπή prokopé, which means progress or advancement by overcoming all obstacles.

The same word is used to describe Jesus in his youth:

"And Jesus increased [προκοπή prokopé] in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." (Luke 2: 52)
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What does meditating have to do with prospering? The connection is presented to us in Joshua 1: 8:

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

Although the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, a Greek version called the Septuagint renders the word "meditate" as "μελετάω meletaó" and "prosper" as "προκοπή prokopé".

As we meditate on God's Word, we renew our minds (Romans 12; 2), which influences our will and emotions toward godliness, for the soul of man, as referenced in 3 John 2, is made up of mind, will, and emotions.


But believers today have something that Joshua, Abraham, and all the other Old Testament saints did not have: speaking in tongues:

"He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church." (1 Corinthians 14: 4)

By speaking in tongues, no matter what our situation, we enable God to transform our mind, will, and emotions, and thus He can reveal to us His wisdom and His ways, the path which He wants us to take that leads to "good success."

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