America is probably the richest nation in the world, and the rich in America who desire to be richer do not like to admit they are rich.
They do not think they are rich enough yet, so those worth hundreds of thousands will point to millionaires and millionaires will point to billionaires - saying they will not be rich until they reach the mountaintop of their desires.
So no-one really agrees on what rich means in this richest of all nations, so let me point out the two kinds of people described in the counsel of God in holy Scripture. Jesus said, "TO THEM THAT HAVE, TO THEM MORE SHALL BE GIVEN; AND TO THEM THAT HAVE NOT; THAT WHICH THEY SEEM TO HAVE SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM."
There is the definition of the rich and the poor. The rich are not determined by how much wealth they have piled up, but by their ability to attract more wealth; whereas the poor are unable to hold on to what they seem to have. Classifying yourself as not rich nor poor because you desire to be richer simply is a lie you don't want to tell yourself. When are you ever going to be rich enough to be grateful to God Almighty for supplying you with the ability to obtain more and more if you define your financial status by your insatiable desire for more?
The video above was chosen to shock you into a better state of mind. In it are visuals of people so starved they are
skeletons. And in contrast visuals are presented showing those who have abundance. Those of you who are the "haves"
in America society will hopefully consider doing something to help the "have nots."
What you are looking at is Creflo Dollar's humble abode. He is following hard after the example of Jesus Christ who had no place to lay his head. Jesus owned nothing as he crucified his flesh daily and Creflo Dollar owns everything while comforting his flesh daily, so you can be sure when you hear Mr. Dollar talking about the promises of the Bible, that he is speaking from experience.
Creflo Dollar is a man who has been saying for decades he has a vision for a better world in the name of Christ, and his mansion is the evidence of the vision. He is just one of many prosperity teachers misleading the more gullible into believing they can buy prosperity from God Almighty by giving to the preacher.
He founded World Changers Church International (WCCI), got his tax free status and began collecting millions of dollars annually to make this a better world. He forgot to finish the sentence.
He meant a better world for himself and his family. And if your giving to him doesn't work the miracle of prosperity for you, there are no refunds. There must have been something wrong with your faith.
He is a perfect example of why you ought not to give to the rich.
Dollar is known for his controversial teachings of Prosperity theology. His prosperity. He lives a lavish lifestyle. He owns two Rolls-Royces, a private jet, a million dollar home in Atlanta, and a 2.5 million dollar home in Manhattan. The Reverend refuses to disclose his salary and has received a grade of "F" for lack of financial honesty from MinistryWatch.
When you first meet the rich, you will be inclined to think knowing them could really be to your advantage. Most people are quick to try to prove their friendship by doing favors for them.
The rich are aware of what you are trying to do and will be tempted to hold the carrot in front of the dumb donkey to motivate him. After the donkey has earned a dozen carrots, he might get one, so you would gain more respect from the rich by not being so zealous to earn their favor.
Divine counsel in sacred Scripture says YOU WILL "ONLY COME TO DO WITHOUT" IF YOU GIVE TO THE RICH. "
Many of the rich become rich by taking.
Many of the rich do not pay a fair share of their taxes.
"TO THEM THAT HAVE, TO THEM MORE SHALL BE GIVEN."
Many of the rich take from the poor because its there for the taking. Its in their power. Its also forced on them in some instances.
The owners of apartment complexes have to raise the rent to maintain the competitive value of their real estate so we find the greedy raising their rents higher more quickly and the moderate landlord is dragged along by the necessity of not devaluing their investment.
Its expected for the rich to take advantage of the poor in any society in this present world as it has always been everywhere.
"THE RICH RULE THE POOR." The Landlord has to rule over their tenants, their managers, and the workmen who maintenance their property or their subordinates will ruin them financially. Its the nature of the thing.
But out of the rich Landlords, there will be the tyrants who are unjust in every possible way; and they are not only ruling the poor, they oppressively Lord it over them.
The rich have no intention of treating their financial inferiors as equals. The rich cannot rule over the poor if they do.
The rich certainly do not intend to let the poor in on their secrets so the poor can become their competitor. The rich are guarded at every turn to protect their investments and their power.
So there you are trying to gain favor with the rich by doing things for them freely without pay and they cannot accept you into their confidences or friendship without giving up their power, nor can they imagine having a friendship with the poor when friendships with the rich are so much more profitable to them.
You who give to the rich freely make them richer and yourself poorer.
Don't waste your time or resources on them. If you want a job, just tell
them. But the chance of your gaining a true and lasting friendship with
the rich man might be compared statistically to your chances of winning
the Lottery.
Howard Hughes was the richest man in America in his days. A billionaire when it was rare to be a billionaire. Hughes had a full time bagman who was able to visit with Presidents in Mr. Hughes behalf.
He was The Alter Ego of Howard Huges financial empire.
In the late 1960s, Maheu helped the reclusive Hughes acquire Las Vegas Strip hotel-casinos, which began to rid the town of its mob influence and usher in the corporate age of gaming in Southern Nevada.
Maheu who lived to be ninety was an American super-spy.
Maheu infiltrated the German lines during World War II, providing misleading information to Adolf Hitler. Maheu spied on Hughes’ starlet girlfriends, and worked with the CIA and the Mafia to try to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
The mark Maheu left on Las Vegas is indelible.
“Bob Maheu had as much to do with the transformation of Las Vegas as practically any other person who called Las Vegas home,” said Brian Greenspun, president and editor of the Las Vegas Sun.
“When he came here in 1966, Bob spearheaded Howard Hughes’ efforts to buy up a number of mobbed-up hotels on the Strip. Only men with Mr. Hughes’ money and vision and Bob Maheu’s tenacity could have succeeded in ridding Las Vegas of mob influence.”
That, Greenspun said, led to corporate expansion of the Las Vegas Strip, fueled by Wall Street and legitimate banks around the world.
“Without Bob Maheu, Las Vegas would be a very different and a far less successful place today,” Greenspun said.
There were other big men on Howard Hughes payroll.
Larry O'Brien the successful campaign manager for Presidents was
one of them.
Huges did not pay taxes for 17 straight years.
When TWA beat him in court for a judgment of $137 million,
O'Brien drafted a law to free Hughes from the debt.
Hughes turned his billion dollar a year weapons factory over to the Hughes Medical Institute to make it part of a tax exempt charity organization so all of the factory's income was tax exempt. He gave a few million to the charity so he could save many more millions in taxes.
Many other charities were used by the rich in the United States as tax shelters. Politicians receiving donations from them, were not inclined to make their supporters pay their taxes. They had been bought. It's hard to believe isn't it? Political offices are for sale.
Many of the rich are takers. That's how they get rich. "IF YOU GIVE TO THE RICH YOU WILL ONLY COME TO DO WITHOUT." When you suffer losses or get hurt helping them, its your tough luck.
Save your charity for the poor who cannot pay you back. The Lord wants his people to give out of a heart of love cheerfully. If all you do is give to get, what makes you any better than sinners lost in spiritual darkness?
When you see the rich, they're all smiles and waves. In conversation they extract information but do not give it. There is your first warning. They are takers.
Once they have buddied up to you, they expect favors for free.
Tell them the truth. "You are rich and I am poor. You are more able to give than I. You can afford to pay for services rendered."
If they say "I'll get someone else." Fine, let them. If they offer minimum wage, tell them what the job is worth.
If you give the devil an inch, he'll take a mile.
If you give the rich an inch, they'll take two miles.
In this rich nation there are so many with wealth who are miserable because
they can't climb the financial mountain to obtain the abundance they think
will finally make them happy. And there are so many poor people in America
who haven't learned to appreciate what they do have to enjoy in this world.
We are told "Having food and clothing, we should be content." But so few people are able to be content with just food and clothing. If they are homeless they make themselves miserable by whining about it all the day long while they cry out for charity as though society and life itself has wronged them.
There would be a whole lot more wayfaring men walking up and down this great Country to tell people of Jesus were you content with food and clothing. Jesus himself had no place to lay his head, and the holy Apostles had "no certain dwellingplace."
They were richer than the rich while content being poor, and the materially rich were
miserable because their riches did not satisfy them. The marble just shipped in for their mansion was chipped,
their favorite thoroughbred horse was sick, their cook did not prepare the food the way they like it, their
investments were not doing as well as they had hoped, and their daughter was pregnant out of wedlock.
But holy men have none of these entanglements to choke out the Word of god in their lives while they store
up treasures in heaven spiritually and enjoy the divine Presence of the Lord in their spirit. They who are devout
and totally committed to God are purchasing "the true riches."
