Enough with the health and wealth gospel

I am really tired of hearing people complain about not being well off or blessed just because they believe in God and Jesus.  I have no idea where people have received this idea that God is like the genie from Aladdin.

I'll give you everything you want except Heaven!

God doesn't promise us a life of ease and being blessed the way we want.  We are called to follow him, and often what He considers a blessing is not what we would consider a blessing.

Let's take Mary for example.  She was an unwed teenage mother before it was cool and she could get her own t.v. show.  She risked losing her husband and having everyone in her family turn their backs on her.  She gave birth to this world's savior in a manger around the farm animals.  Then after raising this child and loving him like a mother would she watch as he was beaten and nailed to a cross to bring her eternal life.  Would you consider that a blessing?  Or are blessings money and belongings that are in this world?

I hope everyone, especially in the good ole US of A that we are extremly blessed and that maybe instead of complaining about what we don't have we should figure out ways to share what we do have.