Today we will consider two further basic principles about wealth and riches from the teaching of Paul to Timothy.
Paul teaches that our basic needs are really very few. He says that if we have food and clothing we should be content [verse 8]. The word translated here as clothing, [some versions say “raiment”], is the Greek word ‘skepasma,’ which is only found once in the New Testament. It means “covering” and perhaps included shelter. Perhaps there is a need to simplify our life style. We can actually become so cluttered with things that we forget how to enjoy the basics. The American essayist, Henry David Thoreau wisely commented that, “A man is wealthy in proportion to the number of things he can do without.” Thoreau also said, “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
A further principle that Paul teaches is that the desire to be wealthy leads to sin[verse 9-10]. Money in itself is not evil, and having money doesn’t make you a bad person. Used wisely money can be a great blessing, especially in helping others. The issue is a love of money that becomes your motivation and passion. The temptation is to make decisions based on money, rather than seeking God’s will and walking with him. If an eagerness to make money pushes out the consideration of other, more important values, we’re in serious personal and spiritual danger. Many a person has looked back with sadness when, after their pursuit of money, they’ve sacrificed their families, health, and their own higher ideals.
The words that describe the dangers of the pursuit of money are “ruin,” “destruction,” “wandering from the faith” and “pierced themselves with many griefs [“acute mental pangs” – Amplified Bible] [verses 9-10]. The love of money leads to covetousness [Ecclesiastes 5:10], self-reliance and forgetting the Lord [Deuteronomy 8:1-6], selfishness [Ezekiel 16:49,50], and can choke our spiritual life [Luke 8:7,14].
In my own life, there have been times when I have had too much of a liking for money, and I have had to deal with it as one might deal with an idol. The answer for me has been to give it away! We must get rid of anything that hinders our walk with God!
Questions:
- Why is it dangerous to make decisions in life based purely on finance, and financial gain?
- Read Matthew 6:33. What is the promise that Jesus gives us in this verse, and what is the condition for enjoying that promise?
- Do you agree that we can become so cluttered with things that we forget the basics of life? How can you personally simplify your life-style?
Taken from Pastor Michael Ross-Watson’s Daily Devotional online, michaelrosswatson.com.
