Children of the King

What is commonly referred to as the “Prosperity Gospel” goes something like this:  “We are children of the King, therefore we should live like children of the King!”  Do we mean by that statement that we should live according to the example of our humble King, Jesus, when he walked the earth, and trust him to give us that which he sees we need?  Or, do we mean by that statement that like a spoiled child we can rant and rave and pout until we get what we want because we know our Daddy can afford it?  Or worse yet, do we see God as our cosmic genie who will give us whatever we want, if we recite the right incantations coupled with faith?

Henry Kissinger observed, “To Americans usually tragedy is wanting something very badly and not getting it. Many people have had to learn in their private lives, and nations have had to learn in their historical experience, that perhaps the worst form of tragedy is wanting something badly, getting it, and finding it empty.”