“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
(Luke 16:23)
This account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 demonstrates the great difference between temporal prosperity and eternal blessedness. In this life, the rich man enjoyed abundance, ease, and worldly comforts, while Lazarus suffered affliction. Yet at death the tables were completely turned: Lazarus was comforted, while the rich man was tormented.
This does not teach that riches are inherently evil or that poverty is inherently saving. Riches are among the good gifts of God’s providence, and Scripture records godly men who possessed great wealth. Rather, the danger lies in abusing earthly blessings, trusting in them, and making them the chief happiness of the soul. Worldly prosperity becomes a dreadful snare when the heart rests in the gift and forgets the Giver.[1]
Food, shelter, health, possessions, comforts, and earthly enjoyments testify to His goodness. Even the wicked receive abundant evidence of His bounty. God gives rain, fruitful seasons, food, and gladness, so that His creatures are continually surrounded by testimonies of His generosity. These common mercies do not necessarily demonstrate His saving favor, but they always demonstrate that He is good.
The Christian has even greater reason for thanksgiving. For God has not only given us temporary blessings. He has also taught us to seek that inheritance which cannot be lost. Prosperity may disappear, health may fail, possessions may be taken away, and present comforts may give place to affliction; but the believer’s true portion remains secure in God.
This contrast between the rich man and Lazarus therefore teaches us to distinguish between having good things and having God as our chief good. A person may possess much in this world and yet have nothing that will comfort him in eternity. Another may suffer greatly in this life and yet enjoy everlasting riches in the world to come. But outward circumstances alone cannot determine God’s special love, for temporal prosperity and adversity are distributed between both the righteous and the wicked.
God’s people may therefore receive temporal mercies with gratitude without making them their treasure. They may enjoy what God provides while remembering that these things are neither their highest good nor their lasting inheritance.
The greatest mercy is not that God gives His people good things in this life, but that He gives them Himself and prepares them for everlasting blessedness. The believer may therefore thank God in prosperity and adversity alike. Every earthly blessing may be received as a gift from His hand, and every earthly trial may remind the soul that its true happiness lies beyond this present world.
Contemplations:
- Thanking God For Every Temporal Mercy. I receive countless mercies from the hand of God that I tend to overlook because they have become familiar. Every provision, comfort, possession, and lawful enjoyment comes from His bounty. None of these things are owed to me, and none should be received without gratitude. Lord, make me thankful for every blessing You provide, and teach me to enjoy Your gifts in such a way that my heart continually rises in gratitude to You.
- Thanking God For A Better Portion. I have reason to rejoice that my greatest treasure is not contained within the boundaries of this present life. Earthly blessings can be lost, and present circumstances may change suddenly, but the inheritance secured for me in Christ cannot perish. I thank You, Father, that You have taught me to seek something infinitely better than the comforts of this world. Keep my heart from treating earthly prosperity as my chief happiness, and cause me to treasure the eternal blessedness You promised to Your people.
- Thanking God For His Grace In Affliction. I don’t usually see affliction as a reason for thanksgiving, yet You are able to use temporal troubles for my everlasting good. Trials expose the inadequacy of earthly comforts and teach me how little this world can truly satisfy the soul. When You remove something on which I have leaned too heavily, You remind me that my lasting portion is found in You. Lord, give me grace to receive Your providence with faith, thanking You not only for comforts given but also for every affliction You use to sanctify me for my good and Your glory.
- Thanking God That He Is My Chief Good. The greatest blessing You could ever give me is not wealth, ease, health, or earthly prosperity, but Yourself. All earthly gifts must eventually be left behind, but those who belong to Christ possess a happiness that death cannot take away. I thank You that my hope does not rest on what I possess in this world but on Your mercy in Jesus Christ. So teach me to hold earthly things with an open hand, to use them faithfully while they are entrusted to me, and to rejoice above all that You are the everlasting portion of Your people.
Prayer (Thanksgiving):
Most gracious Father, I thank You for every good thing that comes from Your hand. You have filled my life with mercies greater than I can number. For daily provision, for comforts, for every lawful enjoyment, and for all the kindnesses of Your providence, I give You praise.
Keep me from receiving Your gifts without acknowledging the Giver, and from making earthly prosperity my happiness or trusting in possessions that cannot endure. Teach me to use every temporal blessing for Your glory and to remember that everything I possess has been entrusted to me by You.
I thank You especially that You have provided a better and everlasting portion for Your people. Through Jesus Christ, You have given me a hope that reaches beyond death and an inheritance that cannot be taken away. When earthly comforts fail, remind me that my true treasure remains secure.
I thank You also for the afflictions You are pleased to sanctify for my good. Though they are painful, use them to loosen my affections from this present world and to increase my desire for heavenly things. Teach me to trust Your wisdom when Your providence gives and when Your providence takes away.
Above every gift, I thank You for Yourself. You are better than all the blessings this world can offer. Cause my heart to find its highest happiness in You, my confidence in Christ, and my hope in the eternal blessedness You have prepared for all who are His.
Through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Matt. 8:11; Matt. 11:23; Rev. 14:11; Psalm 9:17
[1] Thomas Manton, A Fourth Volume Containing One Hundred and Fifty Sermons on Several Texts of Scripture, (London: J. D. and are to be sold by Jonathon Robinson .., 1693), 985-988.
