I can’t help but think of those black tie affairs. The beautifully attired men and women eating fillet Mignon and lobster while washing it down with Dom Pérignon.
All this as they are raising money to help the poor get sacks of rice to eat.
Now before you say anything, I an not for a minute saying that those who can afford such finery should not avail themselves of it. What I am saying is it is very ironic. You decide the answer.
After all, I am a conservative. I strongly believe in the capitalistic model yet (I hear the Liberals starting to applaud) I still can’t help to think that there is just too much of an inequality in this life.
For those who have their Rolls Royces and their forty room mansions, God bless you. Especially if you earned it fairly competing within the system.

I believe God allows people to be rich so that they can be a blessing to others.
Gen 18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Abraham was blessed so he could be a blessing.

There were many rich men in the Bible. Good men who followed God. As we said, Abraham and also; Issac,Jacob,Joseph, Job…I could go on an on.

Paul also knew about this inequality that I mentioned.

2Co 8:14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
2Co 8:15 As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

Again, what is fair should be decided by the heart of those who are inclined to be a blessing. I do say however that many need to re-evaluate their situations to determine if their heart is telling them fairly, what they should give.
It seems the following verse says it best:
Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

The other day there was a “World Mission Conference” at one of the Churches here in the Philippines. Those of us who are missionaries like to think of it as our black tie affair. (Without the steak,lobster or the black tie.)
Yet , and here comes the irony again, I wasn’t able to go.
Was I sick? No. Incapacitated? Thankfully not. Then what? I did not have the $20 or so expense money it would have cost me to go.
People flew on jet planes to get to the Mission Conference but the Missionary could not afford to go across town to get there. Ironic? So then, what do we say? Whose fault is it? God’s will? Perhaps it is others having just a bit too much of lobster.
I did not see the movie, Schindler’s list but I know of the plot and I am told at the end of his saving so many Jews from death by using his personal resources, he looks down at his nice ring and wonders how many more Jews he could have saved with that ring.
Perhaps when we drive our new car or sleep in our nice house or look down at our steak, we can ask ourselves the question, “Is there an equality here?”

"We struck gold"