I read some interesting facts about the world we live
in and how Americans compare to others. If we were to break down the population
of the world into only 100 people, it would play out like this:
- There would be:
- 51 women and 49 men.
- 70 people would be of a faith other than
Christianity.
- 70 people of color; 30 would be white.
- 80 would live in substandard housing (i.e. no
running water or electricity, etc.)
- 50 would be malnourished, living off perhaps one
small meal a day.
-70 would be
illiterate and unable to read. And…
- 6 of the 100
would possess half of all the world's wealth and reside in the
United
States of America.
Even with the financial challenges that Americans face
today, it doesn't seem as bad when you consider the following :
There are approximately 6.6 billion people in the
world today and close to half of that (well over 3 billion) live on less
than $2 a day! Statistically, from the world's
perspective, I would say, "Boy, Am I rich!"
There are over 300 million living in the U.S. (less
than 6% of the world's population), yet Americans have half the world's wealth.
But what about the poor in America?
The following are facts about persons in the United
States defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, taken from various
government reports:
Forty-three percent of all poor households actually
own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by
the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage,
and a porch or patio. Eighty percent of poor households have air conditioning.
By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air
conditioning. Only 6 percent of poor households are over*crowded. More than
two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
The average poor American has more living space than the average
individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout
Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries,
not to those classified as poor.) Nearly three-quarters of poor households own
a car; 31 percent own two or more cars. Ninety-seven percent of poor households
have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions. Seventy-eight
percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV
reception. Eighty-nine percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a
stereo, and more than a third have an automatic dishwasher. Would you consider this poverty, or is the
standard poverty considerations in America much higher than a lot of other
countries who experience true poverty such as not being able to eat or have a
roof over their head?
What about God's perspective? Let's look at what the Bible says about wealth?
"Moreover, when God gives any man
wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be
happy in his work-this is a gift of God." Ecclesiastes 5:19
"You will be made rich in every way so that you
can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result
in thanksgiving to God." II Corinthians 9:11
17 "Command
those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their
hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly
provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to
be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way
they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming
age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." I Timothy 6:17-19
Balance that with:
"Now listen,
you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2
Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and
silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your
flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages
you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you.
The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You
have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves
in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who
were not opposing you." James 5:1-7
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew
19:23,24
16 "And he
told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good
crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my
crops.' 18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns
and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And
I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many
years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."' 20 "But God said to
him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who
will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 21 "This is how it will be
with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Luke 12:16-21
My take on all of is…
There is nothing inherently wrong with being wealthy. He
wants us to enjoy it. However, we should recognize the fact that it is all His
and He is just letting us use it. He blesses some with wealth with the
intention of their using it to bring glory to Himself. However, some misuse their wealth and hoard
it for themselves or use it for ungodly purposes. In addition, some may gain wealth by unscrupulous
means. This is not in God's will and
those that abuse wealth will ultimately stand in judgment before God. I believe
that God blesses us with wealth so that we may be a blessing to others less
fortunate than ourselves. There are ample warnings in some of the above
Scriptures about the consequences of misusing that with which God has blessed
us. Let us not be distracted by our wealth in placing our highest priority in
consumption, but, rather, focus on how we can use our wealth to honor Him.
May we all be good stewards of that which is entrusted
to each one of us, whether our wealth is small or large. Remember the
perspective of our wealth versus the world.
May we seek to bring honor to Him with all we have and all that we say
and do!
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