You Know You're Filthy Rich When...

I see myself in the middle of this 16th century Italian painting by Jacopo Bassano.

"There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores."   

- one of Jesus's stories, in Luke 16:19-21 (the Message)

We can be sure we are among the wealthy religious folks Jesus is addressing in this story when...

...we enjoy a life of luxury and ease that exceeds anything that could have been imagined by the Dives (Latin for "rich man") in Jesus's story, or by the wealthy family in the above 1550 painting.

...when each resident of our house has access to multiple rooms rather than each room having multiple residents.

...when we have pantries, freezers and refrigerators filled with an exotic variety of tasty foods from all over the world, with ready access to well-stocked supermarkets and wonderful restaurants.

...when as North Americans we receive extraordinarily good incomes based on 40-60 hours of work a week, and enjoy numerous vacation and other benefits, and can retire at age 65.

...when we have decent health insurance coverage, primary care physicians to respond to our every injury or illness, and all kinds of first responders, specialists and other healthcare providers when we face a medical crisis.

...when our closets are filled with enough clothes for several lifetimes--with garments made for us in far-off factories by workers putting in long hours at sweatshop wages.

...when each member of our household has access to one or more $15,000-$50,000 luxurious motorized and computerized vehicles to provide instant, convenient, and air-conditioned transportation whenever and wherever needed.

...when what we spend annually on entertainment, golfing and hunting trips, cruise vacations and other pastimes exceeds what most people have to live on in a giving year.

Note: I need the prayers, counsel and help of all God's people in light of our being in the top 3-5% of the world's wealthiest people.