How Rich Are You?

Are you rich? Do you have any rich friends? How do you rank when it comes to wealth and your perception of where you fit into society? I have rarely "felt" rich.

I come from a family where my mom and dad worked really hard to allow us to have a middle class life (more accurately, upper-middle class). As a person who has been in "ministry" my entire adult life, money has never been a major motivator. I have had to be creative and frugal in order to make things work. My taxes have attested to this fact. Yet travelling to "3rd world" countries opened my eyes up to how wealthy I really am. There is no denying the wealth of a vast majority of the people who live in this nation. Without knowing it, we are living off the poverty of most of the world. It is not productive if this just creates guilt -- but it should create more proactive responses. Gratitude, generosity, and strategic giving are some proactive ways to respond. This weekend Pastor Jim's message is entitled, “A Word to the Wealthy.” Before you exclude yourself from this conversation, you might be surprised to see where you rank. Take a look at this website and you’ll see that even if you’re poor by our standards, you’re still “wealthy” compared to the rest of the world: http://www.globalrichlist.com/.