How rich is too rich?

[Josho]

Just another silly thread by Josho.

How rich is too rich? Is there any such thing?

Is being rich wrong?

How much is too much?

If someone is rich should he or she buy more expensive items to support better paid workers and keep more people in well paid jobs?

Without rich people, would there be less donations to help out the poor? Would there be less people writing out a million dollar cheques to give to charity? Would there be more poverty around the world or less?

If the world didn't have rich people, would there be less money being printed out?

In Australia there seem to be getting more and more people hitting a net worth of a Million dollars, and the millionaire list is growing larger and larger, also home loans are growing, and some are going on 30 year plans to pay it off, but once paid of many will have a net worth of a million dollars. Also in some parts, farms can cost a million+, to get one.

In the UK there are many with a net worth of 10 million dollars +, and I have heard apartments sell for 15 million dollars +, even $20m in some parts of London.

Also in countries like the UK, Italy, France, I believe the price of keeping manufacturing in their own countries is going up. And it's definitely something I have a bit of understanding of, but not a total understanding of though, because I don't employ any people, but in Australia there are plenty of extra costs to employ someone.

But when it comes to product manufacturing, people need to pay their bills, pay for their materials, make a profit, and make a living out of doing it, which is what justifies a higher price for products in countries like UK, Canada, Australia.

And also the fact that not every business owner is a fan of the mass-production business model.

 

[mjrhealth]

When you no longer need Christ than you may be "rich" but very poor.

 

[Josho]

When you no longer need Christ than you may be "rich" but very poor.

But what about rich Christians?

 

[Josho]

@mjrhealth

As you can see in the OP, rich is not a choice for some, and they may actually need to be rich to be able to afford to live close to where they work.

And I am sure God has called people to live in London before. Haha

 

[mjrhealth]

@mjrhealth

As you can see in the OP, rich is not a choice for some, and they may actually need to be rich to be able to afford to live close to where they work.

And I am sure God has called people to live in London before. Haha

Having a 'credit" card does not make a man rich. Dont own a house, dont even own a car, dont have a credit card, pay to pay as they say, do have a good well paying job thanks to God, but I am rich for I have Christ. We are travellers in a strange land, just passing through,

 

[Josho]

Another question, do we need rich people to keep the national economy going well?

 

[Josho]

Having a 'credit" card does not make a man rich. Dont own a house, dont even own a car, dont have a credit card, pay to pay as they say, do have a good well paying job thanks to God, but I am rich for I have Christ. We are travellers in a strange land, just passing through,

I don't know about you hahaha, but I personally would be terrified to borrow money for a house in London hahaha, imagine how expensive the repayments would be.

 

[Josho]

I don't know about you hahaha, but I personally would be terrified to borrow money for a house in London hahaha, imagine how expensive the repayments would be.

Anyway it's just an example, I got no desire to live in a big city anyway..... I prefer the mountains.

 

[Jay Ross]

Anyway it's just an example, I got no desire to live in a big city anyway..... I prefer the mountains.

What mountains? Australia is pretty flat with a few ripples that act as watersheds for the river systems. A couple of years ago I crossed one such ripple that divided the Murry Darling River catchment area from the Lake Eyre River catchment area and the "mountain range" had an RL of only 175 metres and the saddle I passed through was around 150 metres above sea level. I think the river I crossed before the range actually disappears in a pebbly desert and then seeps out again to enter Lake Eyre, which is around 10 m below sea level.

I did live on a "mountain" at an RL around 675 metres and much of Australia is blow that RL.

Just a thought for you to consider. In QLD, the Great dividing range is nothing more than a plain when the water gets to make up its mind which way it flows depending on the direction of the wind.

 

[Josho]

What mountains? Australia is pretty flat with a few ripples that act as watersheds for the river systems. A couple of years ago I crossed one such ripple that divided the Murry Darling River catchment area from the Lake Eyre River catchment area and the "mountain range" had an RL of only 175 metres and the saddle I passed through was around 150 metres above sea level. I think the river I crossed before the range actually disappears in a pebbly desert and then seeps out again to enter Lake Eyre, which is around 10 m below sea level.

I did live on a "mountain" at an RL around 675 metres and much of Australia is blow that RL.

I got mountain views all around me, I live on a lower part of a hill in the Eastern part of the Upper Yarra Valley about 1 and a half hours from Melbourne, but I am only 230m asl, but as I say that, the mountains outside my window are 1000m+ asl. So really this is the part of Victoria where mountains start to get higher, the further east you go, the higher they get, it's all part of the Great Dividing Range though.

 

[Josho]

What mountains? Australia is pretty flat with a few ripples that act as watersheds for the river systems. A couple of years ago I crossed one such ripple that divided the Murry Darling River catchment area from the Lake Eyre River catchment area and the "mountain range" had an RL of only 175 metres and the saddle I passed through was around 150 metres above sea level. I think the river I crossed before the range actually disappears in a pebbly desert and then seeps out again to enter Lake Eyre, which is around 10 m below sea level.

I did live on a "mountain" at an RL around 675 metres and much of Australia is blow that RL.

Just a thought for you to consider. In QLD, the Great dividing range is nothing more than a plain when the water gets to make up its mind which way it flows depending on the direction of the wind.

You are not wrong though, Australia is pretty low lying and flat.

 

[historyb]

How rich is too rich? Is there any such thing?

No

Is being rich wrong?

No

How much is too much?

No such thing :)

 

[historyb]

Another question, do we need rich people to keep the national economy going well?

Absolutely

 

[Josho]

Absolutely

That is absolutely right, because not everything can be produced or fixed for a cheap price. So in order to keep those people paid and the money circulating, we need rich people to keep the national economy going well.

Also think of an artist, who puts in hundreds of hours into a highly detailed painting, or someone who puts a high amount of detail into carving wood furniture by hand, these people need to be paid for what they do.

 

[Josho]

Also without rich people there wouldn't be air travel around the world, and there wouldn't even be ships either.

 

[Enoch111]

How rich is too rich? Is there any such thing?

That is a very subjective thing. When people think of the rich they think of self-centered people who are focused on self-aggrandizement. It would appear that the wealthy are also the most grasping, miserly, and stingy, a la Scrooge.

But that does not have to be the case. God-centered and Christ-centered people with wealth can make it a blessing to others provided they have crucified the flesh (the self) and committed their wealth to God. As we see in Scripture, wealthy Christians looked after their poorer brethren. There is no virtue in poverty as such, since no one can help or bless others, if he or she is barely surviving.

It should be mentioned here that the prosperity preachers with their lavish lifestyles are a disgrace and a blight on Christianity, since they are parasites on poor, gullible, Christians.

 

[Josho]

That is a very subjective thing. When people think of the rich they think of self-centered people who are focused on self-aggrandizement. It would appear that the wealthy are also the most grasping, miserly, and stingy, a la Scrooge.

But that does not have to be the case. God-centered and Christ-centered people with wealth can make it a blessing to others provided they have crucified the flesh (the self) and committed their wealth to God. As we see in Scripture, wealthy Christians looked after their poorer brethren. There is no virtue in poverty as such, since no one can help or bless others, if he or she is barely surviving.

Yep

It should be mentioned here that the prosperity preachers with their lavish lifestyles are a disgrace and a blight on Christianity, since they are parasites on poor, gullible, Christians.

Not all of them are.

I remember seeing someone did a little bit of research of one of God's man in the Bible, which one? I am not too sure, and the amount of Gold they had, added up to a massive amount money, what was the worth in today's money? I don't really remember, but I think it would be right to say it was probably over a $billion worth in today's money.

 

[Stan B]

But that does not have to be the case. God-centered and Christ-centered people with wealth can make it a blessing to others provided they have crucified the flesh (the self) and committed their wealth to God. As we see in Scripture, wealthy Christians looked after their poorer brethren. There is no virtue in poverty as such, since no one can help or bless others, if he or she is barely surviving.

If I have wealth, it is because God chose to give me wealth, I used to wonder "Why me??", until one day as I was reviewing my financial data, I thought, "How totally useless!!". So perhaps He gave me wealth because I really couldn't care less about money. I certainly never 'loved' money. I have never even considered it mine. I have always felt that it has merely been entrusted to me, and then passed on to those who embrace the same sentiment.

 

[Avalon1]

I don't believe that every Christian is destined to be rich, God has the ability to make someone rich but he'll only bless them with it if it will further the kingdom of God, God wants a return on the investment per se. God does bless a lot of Christians financially because He chooses the right people that will be responsible with it. God supports me and I've had a few miracles.

 

[Giuliano]

Another question, do we need rich people to keep the national economy going well?

If they have most of the money and aren't spending much, it certainly can damage an economy. That is happening now in the US. Of course, the wealthy used to dine out a lot at fancy restaurants and fly around on planes on vacations; and that money is no longer circulating.

I think it shows the perils of having a national economy depend too much on what the rich do. People often argue saying the rich provide jobs when they buy luxury items like yachts or private jets. I suppose that is true, but how far should we do with that? Do we want everyone working at menial jobs making luxury items for the rich? What percentage is too high? At what point does the situation look like a plantation with slaves although we use different words for it?

One clue that the rich may becoming too rich is when they believe they need to live in closed communities with gated security or feel the need to hire private security guards. They know their wealth inspires envy and resentment. There is no wall high enough or army powerful enough to protect them forever if the rich get too rich and the poor stay poor. Rome tried it. Other nations have. When things become too uneven, eventually a time comes to level things.

Ezekiel compared Samaria in his day to Sodom. What was their offense? One was:

Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Remember how rich Sodom was? They got raided and were unable to defend themselves. Abraham rescued them. They still didn't learn. Look at how they treated "strangers" visiting their town. Never mind the sodomy. If the angels had taken the form of women, they would have wanted to rape them too. They were rich and saw "strangers" as people they could abuse; and the more outrageous the abuse, the more they liked it.

There is wisdom in what Moses wrote here:

Deuteronomy 24:14 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:

Oppressing others has its pitfalls. It rouses resentment, hatred and eventually violence. Religion can also become so wealthy that it inspires greed and violence. I think we can expect to see religion judged again, but I also think we've seen happen before.

Revelation 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.