5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
Look around you. Everything you see is perishable. Even as you look at yourself, you are perishing. What we see now is not going to last into eternity. I heard recently about our probable next president eating caviar and drinking champagne. My judgment is that those actions are of an individual who is living for luxury and self-indulgence. And that has been his track record for years. With all his wealth, he has consistently given only a very small percentage of that wealth away. Instead, he has spent it on himself. And you can bet that the trend will continue into the future. His presidency will be one of luxury and self-indulgence. But I suspect that each of us has the tendency to spend too much on self and not enough on others. I know there are many who read this blog who are struggling to make ends meet. I remember those days well. Boxed mac & cheese with a hotdog cut up to add variety. But I am at a very different point in my life. I have a career that provides sufficiently for our needs so that we are able to give more generously than we ever have been able to previously. When a need arises, we are able to give. We have been blessed, so we bless others. And our blessing reaches across the globe. India, Africa, Iraq and Europe all receive part of the blessing. I look forward to the day when we can give more, and that day will come soon. It is exciting to think about influencing others for Jesus whom I have never met. I will probably never go to the places where the blessing of God flowed through me, but I rejoice none the less. What a privilege to be used by God. And yet I still want to do more. I still feel that I live in luxury when compared to so many billions around the world. So I will continue to give out of the joy of obedience.
The Arnold Journey 