Can you justify being wealthy and being a Christian?

ooops sorry in Proverbs 3:10 that first word should read "So, not do" Guess I didn't notice the mistake till after I posted my comment. C.C.

I agree with this. However, I have to wonder, if one really didn't love and/or worship money, why would they need it in excess?

if you are being wealthy using the right means, and you are working in the right place, then there is no worry. i myself donate to such organizations who are supporting thousands of lives in my cities and many other cities. they are making shelters for the poor and also give totally free top-notch facilities to the poor and currently they are working in the northern areas where earthquake destroyed everything. one should not stop himself from doing charity, even if it brings just one meal to someone. even doing such a meager thing assures great rewards and it is God who sees the intention and accepts ones effort. and if you want to make even more difference and want to give even more, God's rewards are limitless.

I just don't think it as easy to define the right place to work, or using wealth for the right means. That is what perplexes me. For instance, there's the question of whether we should we buy things made from cheap labor or things that were fairly traded? On the one hand, without cheap labor, many people who are poor would not be able to afford to buy some of the staple needs that they have. And although the laborers are being exploited and being paid much less than they deserve, they value their work as something better than the other alternatives that they might have. But does that make it right?

That's a good point, many of the poor are very materialistic. Some even become poor because of that.

I go to a Christian college as well, and I don't quite get that argument. College students are usually raked in debt, LOL. I don't think that the type of car you drive should really be reflective of anything, especially for college students, who more than likely were given their car as a gift from daddy and mommy. If they were to sell it it would be a bit disrespectful to their parents I think. But anyway. I don't necessarily agree with that argument. God can give people things and put people in situations that they can't handle very well as a test or to teach lessons. I don't think that wealth is from Satan, because all of our wealth and everything we own is from God's creation. I think that the way we handle wealth can be influenced by Satan, though.

But is it possible to be both wealthy and generous? If one was truly generous, one wouldn't be wealthy.

"Why wouldn't God want you to have the best of everything?" How is being wealthy having the "best" of anything?

I'd be interested to know what scriptures in the Bible that refer to any 'special favor' being upon God's people because of their being poor. We must not read the same Bible. Go back into the Old Testament - and you'll find that Solomon was probably the ricest man that ever lived. Others who were followers of God were wealthy as well - such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joeseph, and others. there are others in the New Testament, that were wealthy as well, and they were followers of Christ. The poverty thing in our day and time, was a doctrine started many, many years ago. It has nothing to do with how God favors or doesn't favor you. The issue is in your heart's attitude towards God. You can be poor and be a genuine anti-christ sinner, or you can be rich, and be a genuine anti-christ sinner. James said that he would that we prosper "even as our soul prospers." So that's the issue - your soul prospering refers to your growth in your relationship With Jesus. If you're heart is turely in God's - you'll will want to bless others with goods, and money, when the need arises. Even giving a dollar to a cause, with a cheerful heart (attitude), will receive the favor of God.

God has used and transformed the hearts of many people with power and wealth, that is undeniable. But many of those people were used to help the poor out of oppression! If God did not favor the poor, why would he choose for the Messiah to live a life of poverty? While everyone was expecting a rich and powerful Messiah, God instead decided to make the perfect human being poor and with no power other than His words. God loves justice. And I am not saying that he values the poor over the rich, but because He loves justice, He has to favor them because they are the ones at a disadvantage. 1 Samuel 2:8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lords, upon them he has set the world. Proverbs 29:7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? Luke 6:20-21 Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are who who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Jesus did not say "blessed are the rich." In fact, here is what he has to say about the rich: Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. In the story of Lazarus (a poor man) and the rich man in Luke 16, the rich man is sent to hell with no other apparent reason other than being rich. And just a tip, when you are talking to fellow Christians it kind of disrespectful to ask if they are reading the same Bible as you. I read the KJV, the NIV, and the NASB. Just so you know.

This is a great statement: "I believe that He wants us to enjoy our lives, but not in an excessive manner." I think this is where we can find a fair balance between being rich and poor.