Meditation on 1
Timothy 6:6-19
Sept. 29, 2013
***
Of
course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we
brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of
it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with
these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped
by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in
their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced
themselves with many pains. But as for you,
man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which
you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence
of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things,
and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good
confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame
until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring
about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of
kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in
unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and
eternal dominion. Amen.
As for
those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to
set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly
provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be
rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for
themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may
take hold of the life that really is life. (I Timothy 6:6-19)
***
At a wedding reception not long ago, I had to smile when I saw that
beside each dinner plate was an unusual gift from the bride and groom. A little jar of honey! A piece of knotted
twine circled the lid and on the label were two contented-looking bees gazing
into one another’s eyes. Printed in yellow above the bees was the message, “Thanks
for bee-in with us. Katy & Brian.”
The gift went perfectly with a wedding in a barn.
The honey jars would be a reminder of that crisp fall day when I was
honored to preside over another wedding of two young people, pledging their
constant faith and abiding love as long as they both shall live.
The message on the honey jar also reminded me of
some of the premarital conversations I have had with young couples. Along with
money management, family and career planning, communication, recreation, and other
topics, we talk about the importance of faith, taking time away from work to
honor the Sabbath, and also making sure to spend time together—just to enjoy
“being with one another.”
The financial pressures some young couples face are great. They have to
find jobs where they can make enough money to pay off school loans if they have
them, be able to buy a home, and provide for their
growing family’s needs, including food, clothing, and medical care.
When I was in my 20s and 30s, it always seemed like we didn’t have quite
enough money. We always seemed
to need a little bit more. Things were
more expensive than we budgeted for; unexpected expenses often came up. And sometimes we just felt we needed to have
something because a friend, neighbor, or family member had just bought one—and
we wanted one, too.
I look back on the years when my kids were growing up, and I remember being
busy, tired, rushed, and working a lot. Yes, I enjoyed my family and have
memories to cherish, but I wish I could have enjoyed my family more.
I wonder why I never seemed to learn to be content, to be at peace, no
matter what my circumstances. I wonder
why I often focused on what I didn’t have rather than being grateful to God for
his many blessings.
For the Lord always provided for our needs. And the Lord always will.
***
Ever notice how the Bible seems to talk about money a lot? Jesus often criticized
rich people who led lavish, selfish lifestyles, neglecting the needs of the
poor. In Mark chapter 10, Jesus tells a
man who asks the way to eternal life that he needs to sell what he has and give
his money to the poor so he will have treasure in heaven. The man, who was
rich, just walks away sadly, because he has many possessions.
In today’s gospel, Luke chapter 16, a rich man who feasts sumptuously
every day refuses to help a poor man begging at the gate of his home. Lazarus is starving and covered with
sores. When Lazarus dies, the angels
carry him away to live with Abraham in heaven; but when the rich man dies, he goes
to Hades and begs for Lazarus to come help him when the flames torment him. Abraham
tells the rich man that he already received all his good things in his lifetime;
Lazarus greatly suffered. So Lazarus
will be comforted in heaven, while the rich man will be in agony in Hades.
In today’s epistle, Paul tells
his younger colleague Timothy at the church in Ephesus that those who pursue
riches will eventually be plunged into ruin and destruction. “For the love of
money is a root of all kinds of evil,” he says.
“In their eagerness to be rich, some have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many pains.”
Most of us reading about the rich people in the Bible ignoring the needs
of the poor find it hard to understand such callousness. Why don’t they care about their poor neighbors? How can they be so cruel?
Today’s reading is a warning not just for people who are wealthy; it is
a warning to all of us not to love money and possessions and to be eager to be
rich. “For there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment,” Paul
says, “for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out
of it.” He uses battle imagery to
describe our inner struggle against the temptation to covet the things of this world.
“Fight the good fight of faith,” he urges. Don’t set your hopes on the uncertainty
of riches. Don’t place your trust in your own provision. Place your hope in the
One who richly provides us with not just everything we need—but everything for
our enjoyment.
Pursue righteousness and godliness. Faith and love. Endurance and gentleness.
Be rich in good works, generous and ready to share.
“Take hold of the eternal life, to
which you were called,” Paul says. “Take hold of the life that really is life.”
***
Thinking about my mistakes in the past—all the wasted hours worrying
about money and not being grateful enough for God’s blessings—I will share with
you what I often tell couples about to be married.
And I want you to know that this message that I am sharing today is one
that I need to hear, too. Because it is
a battle that goes on inside of us every day—the battle against loving and
wanting the things of this world too much and worrying about tomorrow. As long as we are in the flesh, the battle
will rage on.
We always think that we need a little more money, no matter how much we
have. We will always have bills, and some will be unexpected. But when we are
tempted to worry about money and pursue the things of this world, rather than
seek to be pleasing to God…
Let us recall the words of Paul: fight the good fight for the faith. Take
hold of the eternal life, to which we were called. Take hold of the life that really
is life.
Seek help from Jesus Christ, our blessed and only Sovereign, our King of
kings and Lord of lords, who was tempted in every way that we are tempted, but
still did not sin.
And may all the husbands and
wives gathered here remain true to the promises you made on your wedding day.
Remember to make time to just
enjoy “being with one another.”
And take time away from work each week to honor the Sabbath.
May God grant you His peace as you give Him thanks for His many blessings.
For the Lord has always provided for all our needs. And the Lord always will.
Let us pray.
Eternal God, we thank you for your mercy
and love. Thank you for your Son, the
King of Kings and our Lord of Lords, who died and rose from the dead to show us
the way to eternal life. Help us not to
worry about money, Lord, and to trust you to provide for all our needs. And if we are tempted to pursue riches or
covet what our neighbor has, remind us that building our treasure in
heaven is what we are called to do. We
came into this world with nothing and we will take no possessions into the world to come. Help
us to remain focused on our gospel mission and be rich in good works. Move us
to compassion so that we are generous with people in need. Give us passion to fight the good fight of
faith, pursuing righteousness and godliness, and resisting the temptations of
this world. Lead us to find contentment
and peace in You… To take hold of the eternal life…and take hold of the life
that really is life. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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