Advice to the Rich

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.

I've been running into these verses several times the past few weeks:

"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. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 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, NIV)

Crosswalk uses these verses to list Paul's advice to the rich. Their suggestions:

1) First, Paul signals who he's writing to: Those who "are rich in this present world."

2) Next, Paul gives two "not to" commands. He says that those with money are not to be "arrogant" or to "put their hope in wealth."

3) But, now Paul turns his attention to the positive side of wealth. Without any explanation or apology Paul says that it's okay to have nice things. He says that God provides us with "everything" (presumably this includes financial blessings) for our enjoyment!

4) Paul's last directive is a positive one: "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." Sure it is perfectly fine to enjoy some of your wealth personally. But Paul also reminds us of the greater good we can do with our wealth.

5) Like a loving counselor, Paul seems unable to leave the topic without reminding his readers of the blessings that follow such a lifestyle.

In particular, this specific point is something I've been grappling with -- how rich almost anyone in America is compared to most people in the world:

Let me suggest that the "rich" people to whom Paul is speaking would probably include most of us today. Although you may not think of yourself as wealthy -- compared to most of the world (especially in Paul's time) we are all filthy rich! If you have a bathtub you're better off than 70% of the rest of the world. Only 30% of the world's population can read, and less than five percent own a computer! If you have never faced the horror of war, the pain of imprisonment, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people throughout the world. If you have clothes in the closet, food in the fridge, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 92% of the rest of the world!

A few comments from me:

• Much of this line of thinking is similar to Andy Stanley's series on how to be rich. It's a great set of teachings if you're looking for some Christian-based financial guidance.
• In Stanley's series, he notes that rich people have many advantages that others don't:

• They have "homes" for their cars. Many people in the world are lucky to live in what we would call a shack. But many of us in America have nice homes even for our cars (we call them garages.)
• They have so much drinking water that they spray it all over their lawns to make sure their grass doesn't die. Many people around the world drink filthy water they have to haul miles to get. But we use gallons of perfectly good drinking water to make sure our plants live.
• They have times when they don't have to work and they still get paid. It's called vacation time.

Of course, his point is that compared to world standards, we're all pretty well off.

• If you want to see if you are "rich", you can check out this post.
• There's a line of thinking in Christianity that we should all "give it all away." I like that these verses have balance -- we should enjoy some and we should give some. Very similar to my line of thinking in Giving is a Complement to Wealth, Not a Hindrance.

Do any of you have anything to add?

Comments

[Pierre]

I think it is Voddie Baucham Jr. that once said that "God does not have a problem with you owning stuff, He has a problem with stuff owning you".

[Everyday Tips]

It is a difficult balance. When I am having a bad day, I try to give myself perspective in that I know I have it better than the vast majority of the world.

Where I struggle is that I strive to provide the very best for my kids. I am not saying fancy clothes or cars, but experiences. If I could pick 2 areas of life I wish I had more money for, it would be for showing my kids parts of the world, and to have more money to share for causes I strongly believe in. Sometimes I am probably too 'focused' on the money portion, and I do think it is good to step back and look at what you do have, and not what you (or your family) might be missing.

[Matt]

The poor in america could be defined as the rich in others. Who else has a TV, Refigerator, place to live, etc. The worst house in detroit could be the ritz in a place like Jamacia. I know and I have see some of the shack towns in Jamacia and I feel safer in Detroit. It is just in detroit they don't have the barbed wire around the house like they do in Jamacia.

I do not take my "wealthy" living lightly in a modest house in a suburb, car, job,wife & kids. I give when and where I can and try not to let my "wealth" go to my head. I guess that is what they mean when the government wants to tax the wealthy. I assume that is me the middle class of america.

[Spencer]

This is something the mainstream Church in America is just now starting to deal with... Not only can we let money own us it can also affect our relationship with God by making us never truly depend on or trust him for anything. Just look at what the bible says about Laodicea.

From Revelation 3:17
"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."

The book "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream" by David Platt tackles this issue pretty well...

[Rich A.]

I've had the privilege of traveling to Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India, Cambodia, The Dominican Republic and Haiti. There's nothing like a trip to a developing country to remind me of how rich I really am!

I think Paul is giving a great reminder to those who believe in the importance of saving and building wealth: that life, in the end, really isn't about how much we've saved for ourselves...but how much we've given to bless others.

A mentor challenged me several years ago to ask myself, "How much of what God has given me was meant for me...and how much is meant for others?" What I took from that is that I'm not meant to be a money reservoir, but a channel.

So I've taken John Wesley's maxim from his "Sermon 50: The Use of Money" to heart: "Make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."

[MasterPo]

Matt - Well said.

[Kris]

Unfortunately it is not easy to compare yourself with those who you cannot see or know and consider yourself "rich" - even if it is true. It's much easier to compare yourself to those you see next door or read about in the news who have more and see yourself as lacking. Great message to help us at least try to realize how much we really have.