I live in a world system where people who have more money than they need, struggle to find ways to invest the overage, while at the same time billions of people don’t have enough. Interesting paradox?

There are several theories as to why this paradox exists. Listing them from harshest and most arrogant to closest to the truth:

1. People with more than they need work harder than those who have need. This pre supposes a uniform laziness on vast billion of individuals. While it may be true for some, it’s not true for anywhere near all.

2. Another theory is that they work smarter. This pre supposes either mental laziness or lack of God given capacity. While some hard workers may be mentally lazy, I suspect the number is few. If the issue is lack of God given ability, then the question is whether God is OK with His dummies being in need?

3. Some are just born in the right country. This may be substantially true and yet what is God’s view on the responsibility of those “lucky ones” to assist the unlucky ones? Until the “information age” the people with more than they need may not have known the needy on the scale we know them today and tended to hoard.

4. Some have made selfish choices, been caught, and are reaping the consequences. While this may be at least partially true, it’s false for people like Bernie Madof for most of his life.

5. Some willingly reject the true God in countries that are void of God. God then allows them the consequences of their actions. A good possibility, except how would one explain the wealth of the leaders of those countries?

6. Satanic forces are at work assisting the ungodly and hindering the godly. This seems to have the most credibility, but if true would indicate that the needy are always godly. Simply observing the verifiably lazy would indicate they are anything but godly.

Some hybrid of these theories may be the answer.

Some needy are lazy. Some are mentally slow. Some were born in a poor country. Some are reaping the consequences of their own actions. Some are needy because they willingly reject the true God. Some are needy precisely because they are godly.

To the degree that the wealthy understand that their wealth comes from God, the question is how should they live? Where is the balance between what they “need” and assisting others who legitimately are in need? The answer seems to be significantly more complex in light of our “information age”. Ignorance must have been bliss years ago?