Rich man, poor man!

Apostle Steve Lyston, Contributor

There are many debates about improving education and the social standing of the poor so the society can be changed and, hence, reduce crime and poverty locally and globally. But what many don't understand is that if the poor become too educated then the level of manipulation by the rich and the level of control they have over what is given to the poor will diminish and the profit margins of the rich will be significantly reduced.

There are several things we need to keep in mind.

The rich make their money off the poor. The poorer a nation is, the richer the rich will become.

The rich, for the most part, ensures that only a few elite acquire the riches and the poor stay poor or get poorer.

The rich are not enemies to the rich, they are friends! Regardless of how they behave in public, they go to the same schools, are part of the same clubs, go to the same functions - they pull together to maintain their positions and keep the poor excluded.

(Sadly) The poor are enemies to the poor. Proverbs 28:3 reminds us that, "A poor man who oppresses the poor, is like a driving rain which leaves no food." (See also Matthew 18: 28)

They do not understand that every decision a rich man makes is all about profits!

The rich use the money of the poor to invest, while the poor have to pay high interest rates and give their property as security. (Nehemiah 5) So while the rich can get tax write-offs, the poor just get written off - they lose their property!

When that happens, the rich take it and resell it to their friends at a price below the value. (Proverbs 5: 8-10)

The Truth Of The Matter

When a rich man says something foolish, it makes headlines and is quickly embraced. However, if a wise poor man gives a solution or even delivers a company or community, it doesn't even make the news; and they are despised and forgotten! (Ecclesiastes 10: 5-6 & 9: 13-18)

The rich man will fund political events but take no political side. The poor man will kill another poor man over votes and political views! The same rich man will get contracts, deals and offers to sit on various boards in return for their funding. The poor man gets empty promises and increased taxes and high interest rates.

When the rich man commits an offence it is often deemed white-collar crimes. When the poor man commits an offence it is just plain robbery! The rich can appeal and often get off the charges. The poor man gets a longer sentence with very little or no opportunity to appeal.

The rich will seek knowledge and wisdom by reading about money and how to acquire wealth and prosperity! The poor despise reading. (Proverbs 7:12)

A man can be rich financially speaking, but poor spiritually; this can eventually lead him to total poverty. (Proverbs 5:14)

If the child of the rich, who may not have done very well academically, applies for the same job as the child of the poor who is an A-student from the inner-city, the child of the rich will get the job instead.

Many of the rich are not fussy about having 'name-brand' clothing and driving fancy cars. Many poor would.

The rich are always looking for opportunities to invest - even during a recession - regardless of the situation; and they are always looking at the fine print before they sign. Many of the poor are always complaining and giving excuses for the opportunities they fail to seize. Furthermore they sign without reading the fine print and they incur the greater cost further down the road.

Many are asking for balance within our societies and nation, but are we willing to face the truths that exist and make the necessary sacrifices in order to bring about the balance in the society that we seek?

Apostle Steve Lyston is a biblical economics consultant and author of several books, including End Time Finance and The New Millionaire.