1 Timothy 6:6-19
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 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.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
I spend a lot of time thinking about money; I want to know how much something costs, how much it costs to make, and how much it can be resold. I get fascinated with entire systems, not just one or two parts, and I assume that is a byproduct of earning a business degree. I also know that even though I think about money and have no problems talking about money, talking about money is uncomfortable.
All this is true. But we can't live without money, can we? After all, we need a paycheck, and we need to put food on our TV trays. No argument. We came into the world empty-handed and shall leave life empty-handed, but we can't survive empty-handed in the interim. We need to cultivate the skills necessary to survive.
Men in early societies were taught at a young age to hunt, use an axe, fish, farm, or yoke a pair of oxen. Women learned to skin the hides, erect shelters, cook the food, gather herbs, bring in a harvest and bear another generation of workers. Now we pretty much hunt and sew as a hobby instead of survival.
As urban life emerged, shopkeepers, cobblers, tinsmiths, artisans, bookkeepers, autocrats, politicians, writers, philosophers, and others plied their trades. Some professions were more lucrative than others.
As this was happening, spiritual leaders, including the apostle Paul, realized that the need to earn a living was fraught with potential problems:
• If one was too wealthy, others might covet your possessions and even steal what they could.
• Envy might cause some souls to work harder than necessary.
• Those who were employers might prefer to see their employees starve rather than give them a decent wage.
• Careers are sometimes judged based on their earnings when they ought to be evaluated in terms of the service they offer. A teacher, one could argue, has more intrinsic value to society than a football player.
• Most would agree that some professions are simply wrong: Prostitutes, drug pushers, jewel thieves, crooks, etc. No reasonable person would consider these activities as bona fide "professions."
The author gives Timothy some final instructions on being a pastor. Paul understood what kind of environment Timothy was about to start pastoring in, trying to bring people to Christ. During this time, other religions encouraged paying for contentment, paying this god for crops, pay this god for rain. Paul wants Timothy to avoid prosperity preaching. People will use part of verse 10 to speak ill of wealthy people, but Paul is not speaking ill of rich people; wealthy people were supporting the New Testament churches. Paul just wants people to have the right priorities regarding wealth. If you have to use part but not the whole scripture to make an argument, your argument is not very sound.
People have demonized the rich, and others have deified the rich; what we should do is put wealth in its place. The reality is that there will always be someone wealthier than you, and countless millions are poorer than you.
Do we need a $450 million yacht like Jeff Bezos? No, but we might not be able to live without spending $4,500 on a pontoon fishing boat!
Do we need a boat? Maybe we do. It's all relative. If you make $14,500, are you poor? Not if you live in India, where the per capita income is just north of $2,000. But in the United States, you are living in abject poverty if you're making $14,500 per annum. According to the "Remember the Poor" website,
• If you made $1,500 last year, you're in the top 20 percent of the world's income earners.
• If you have sufficient food, decent clothes, live in a house or apartment, and have a reasonably reliable means of transportation, you are among the top 15 percent of the world's wealthy.
• Have $61,000 in assets? You're among the wealthiest 10 percent of the adults in the world.
• If you have any money saved, a hobby that requires some equipment or supplies, a variety of clothes in your closet, two cars (in any condition), and live in your own home, you are in the top 5 percent of the world's wealth.
• If you have more than $500,000 in assets, you're part of the richest 1 percent of the world.
Unfortunately, we live in a culture of outrage and discontent. It's challenging to be at peace with ourselves and content with what we have. Sometimes, it's hard to feel blessed.
Paul wants Timothy and us, for that matter, to focus on godly things, not just money. We have to put our focus on eternal life, and eternal life starts now. Actually, eternal life began when Christ rose from the dead. When Jesus said I come that you have life and life more abundantly, that was not a call for us to wait until we got to Heaven; that was a call for us to have Heaven here on Earth.
In other words, eternal life is not something we look forward to; it is something that has arrived because Christ has arrived and has brought eternity into our midst.
There are things we can do to make life better for us on our own. The word translated as "contentment" (autarkeias) also means "self-sufficiency. "
Be humble: You had luck, privilege, advantages, options, and opportunities that millions can only dream of — even if you worked your tail off to get to where you are. Humility goes a long way. The Bible says, "As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty" (v. 17).
Be realistic: There are no guarantees. The market may crash tomorrow. Who could have predicted the coronavirus and measured its economic impact? If you practiced a policy of contentment, you were in a better position to weather this storm and any that may come in the future. Your peace and stability are not tied to your financial situation. Money is fleeting, and you will never have enough. Someone will always have more than you.
Be generous: We live in a sharing economy. Be a part of it. Join forces with local charities. Be creative in how you can generously distribute your assets among those who need a helping hand. Yes, we should still share; the pastor is going to talk about money, but I talk about money to help the people. Giving is a spiritual discipline, like fasting, praying, reading the Bible, and attending church. They all help you be a better Christian. Be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share.
Be faithful: God's will takes priority over catering to our self-interests. Watch for any signs that you are starting to love money. Loving money is the root of everything that can go wrong in your life (v. 10). Instead of lusting after riches, grow your thirst for righteousness: "Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness" (v. 11).
Paul would say that putting wealth (and other potential idols) into proper perspective is vitally important. Take hold of the life that is life, Paul would say. Do not get stuck on money, nation, CNN, church growth, or … anything else. "Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness" (1 Tim. 6:11).
Fight the good fight.
Be not dismayed whate'er betide, God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.
Refrain:
God will take care of you, Through every day, o'er all the way;
He will take care of you, God will take care of you.
Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.
All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you.
No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast, God will take care of you.
Time is filled with swift transition,
Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Refrain:
Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
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