Meditation on 1
Timothy 6:6-16
***
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.
***
This is the time of year that I usually start feeling like I am running
out of time. Falling behind. Many of you already have your Christmas
decorations up. Over the weekend, kind elves wonderfully transformed our sanctuary
for the season of Advent! Thank you! Some of you may have already begun or even
finished your Christmas cards. I am in awe of you. Some are baking your holiday
goodies. Some braved the crowds and did all your Christmas shopping on Black
Friday—or plan to finish it off tomorrow on “Cyber Monday.” People are already
posting photos of their family Christmas gatherings on Facebook!
Yes, this is the time of year that I usually feel that I can’t keep up
with all the expectations—not the expectation of others and not my own. Thank
God I don’t feel that way this year! Or at least, not yet. I haven’t put up my
decorations. I haven’t shopped or wrapped any gifts. I haven’t written my
cards. And I haven’t baked any cookies or cleaned my house. And I’m OK with
that!
Now don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas! And
I enjoy all the get-togethers and church programs in December! I am looking forward
to our Christmas potluck next Sunday and playing Christmas “Jingo.” I am
looking forward to when our Christmas bell choir plays on Dec. 14 and the
children’s Christmas program Dec. 21.
But the pressures of the holiday season can be so draining. Commercials
on TV tell us we have to buy, buy, buy. We see other people rushing around and
we feel we have to do, do, do. If we aren’t careful to keep our focus on the
Lord, and the true meaning of Advent, we can become discouraged, exhausted and
grumpy in these weeks leading up to Christmas. I think the timing is no
accident! I think this is part of Satan’s plan to try to lead us astray at precisely the time of year that we set
aside to celebrate the Christ child. Satan doesn’t want us to know the joy and
peace of Christ’s Kingdom that our Lord’s coming ushered in.
Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world. He offers to all who believe on
Him a joy and a peace that the world cannot give. One that is not dependent on
anything we have or do.
During Advent, we remember and give thanks to God for the coming of Christ
into our world as a babe in a manger so long ago. And we prepare our hearts and
minds for His return. For He has promised to come again for His Church. And
when He comes, we want the Lord to find us being faithful to walk in His ways, living
as He calls us to live.
But in a world of darkness, sin and
temptation, remaining faithful to Christ’s call isn’t easy. We are continually
engaged in an inner struggle, feeling pulled by the world to go in one
direction, and led by Christ to take a different path. As the apostle Paul
charges us, we have to “fight the good fight!” Fight the good fight of the
faith!
***
The “good fight” is Paul’s main message to
his friend, Timothy, and the Church in our epistle reading today. Timothy, a
co-laborer for the gospel with Paul, stays behind to guide the church in
Ephesus, a city on the coast of modern day Turkey, while Paul continues his
missionary journeys. In Acts 16:1, we read how Paul and Timothy met in Lystra, another
city in modern Turkey. Timothy, the son of a devout Jewish mother and a Greek
father, is already a believer when Paul begins to train him to be a missionary
and leader in the Church.
We don’t know the exact situation at the time of this letter, but there
must have been some people in the faith community stirring up trouble, causing
conflict and confusion. Just before this passage, Paul warns Timothy against
those teaching something other than the “sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
They are “conceited, understanding nothing” with a “morbid craving for
controversy and … disputes about words.” In verse 5, Paul says, “from these come
envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among those who are
depraved in mind and bereft of the truth.” They may be preaching a prosperity
gospel—that if you are doing what God wants you to do, God will bless you with
wealth—or they may even be extorting money with false promises of blessings
through their giving, as Paul adds, “imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” The writer turns the conversation to
the right attitudes and behaviors of believers in verse 6, saying, “Of course,
there is great gain in godliness combined
with contentment.”
Yes, faithful living begins with the heart. Are we content with what we
have? Are we grateful for what God has given us? People who are content and
grateful don’t feel that they want or need anything more. They are not afraid
of losing what they have. They are generous with others, freely sharing what
they have and giving to people in need. We find that familiar saying in this
passage—that we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out
of it! What is the only worldly thing we need for contentment, says Paul? Food
and clothing.
But don’t misunderstand. The writer isn’t criticizing people with money
or possessions. He isn’t blasting all rich people! The writer sees that the
problem of his time is that people want
to be rich for their own pleasure and make the pursuit of riches their
life’s goal. The problem is when people love money more than anything. Money becomes an idol! Is this a problem in
today’s world? Of course! Is the love of money always a temptation for
Christians? Yes, as long as we are in this world.
What does Paul say is the
temptation for people who love money? They will cease to be followers of Christ.
They will cease to be faithful! Loving money, Paul, says, will lead to other
sins, and, ultimately, to misery. Verse 10 says, “For the love of money is a
root of all kinds of evil, and in
their eagerness to be rich, some have wandered from the faith and pierced
themselves with many pains.”
The apostle reminds believers to remember our baptismal vows in verse
12, when we “made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses and in
the presence of God, who gives life to all things.”
He urges us to “keep the commandment
without spot or blame.”
But contentment and gratitude are only part
of the good fight. We must pursue the things of God, Paul says. Pursue
gentleness, godliness and righteousness! Pursue faith. Pursue love.
This is what it means to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ!
***
Friends, on this first Sunday in Advent, let us be reminded what our
Messiah’s coming truly means for us and the whole world! We are loved by God
and reconciled with Him! We are forgiven of our sins! We have abundant and
everlasting life!
Yes, the call to remain faithful in this world of sin and temptation
isn’t easy. But it is the way, the only way, to experience Christ’s peace.
God doesn’t want us to overwhelm ourselves
trying to make everyone happy or keep up with our neighbors. And the Lord certainly
doesn’t want us to be overcome by debt trying to prove our love for others or make
ourselves and our loved ones happy.
In this season, especially—when every time we turn on the TV, we hear,
“buy, buy, buy”—don’t wish for what you don’t have! Don’t push yourself to work
and earn more and more—so that you can accumulate more and more. Much better is
time with the Lord and caring for others! Much better is preparing your hearts
and minds for Christ’s return. Our Lord is coming soon!
Listen for God’s voice amid the noise and rush of the season. Don’t
forget about your church. Come for worship and stay for fellowship. Don’t let
your prayer life suffer. Be nourished on His Word.
The Lord says, “My yoke is easy. Come to me, you who are carrying heavy
burdens and I will give you rest!”
He says, “I am the Good Shepherd. I lay
down my life for my sheep.”
He says, “Fight the good fight of the faith! Take hold of the eternal
life!”
Be content. Be grateful.
Pursue gentleness, godliness, and
righteousness!
Pursue faith. Pursue love!
Let us pray.
Holy Lord, thank you for your love and
for your forgiveness, offered to all through belief on Christ Jesus, your Son!
Thank you for your willingness to suffer and die for our sins and your promise
to return for your church, to come again! Forgive us, Lord, when we have been
unfaithful, when we have allowed other loves in this world to distract us from
loving and serving you, first and foremost. Prepare our hearts and minds for
your return, O Lord. Stir a longing in us to see your face. Strengthen us to
fight the good fight of the faith and seek to walk in Christ’s ways. Stir us to
be content no matter our situation in life. Lead us to be grateful for you all
of our days. Move us to share what we have with others, to be generous with
your church, and to help people in need. Help us to pursue gentleness, godliness,
righteousness, faith, and love. In
Christ we pray. Amen.
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