For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
My thoughts -
We're not rich or anything, my family. Not even close, really. We live in a decent neighborhood. It's not the nicest but it's safe. It's comfortable. We have two cars. They're not new. They're not that nice. But they're comfortable. They're reliable. I have a decent job. It doesn't pay as much as some but it's enough to live on.
Now we don't get to go out as often as we might like. The kids certainly think we could have a better TV and maybe some kind of cool video game system. And we could definitely use more toys. That should go without saying. It doesn't. They say it all the time, especially after watching that TV that could be a lot bigger.
Sometimes, when things get a little tight with the household budget I wish we could have just a little more. I don't want to be rich or anything. Just a little more. Some more breathing room. Maybe enough for a nice family vacation. Maybe enough so we could fly instead of drive there. Not a lot, mind you. Just enough to be a little more comfortable. Some breathing room.
When I read this passage, when it talks of the love of money, it is easy for me to read it as speaking to someone else. It's not speaking to me. I don't love money. I'm not rich. Far from it. In fact, really, I could use some more money.
And then it hits me. I could use more. I desire more. Heck, I deserve more. What kind of thinking is that? When I desire more material comfort, when I desire the ability to acquire more stuff for me and my family, what kind of thinking is that? Even if I say that we only want a little more, even when I say that we really need it because things are getting pretty tight, how is that relying on God? If I place my hope for a better life in increased income how is that not doing what Paul is warning against here?
If I think I need more money, even if it's not a lot, but "just a little" like so many of us middle class Christians do, am I not placing my hope in the "uncertainty of riches"? Can I say with faith that God will provide for our needs and then place my hope in that God ill provide maybe just a little more money than I've got right now?
And how am I using what I have been blessed with now? I may not be rich by American standards, but by virtue of being a middle class American I have an awful lot more than most people alive on the planet right now. That is rich, whether I like to admit it or not. Am I using what I have been blessed with to bless others or to bless myself?
Am I being generous? Am I sharing what I have? Or am I pining after a day in which I can have more money to meet all of my supposed "needs" first so I can then bless others after I have sufficiently blessed myself? Why would I think that if I am unwilling to give generously now that the solution to my loving money too much to share any is to have even more money?
I think a lot of us think this way. I'll give more when I have more. I just need to be a little more comfortable first. After I have a little more then I'll really be able to help others. You'll see.
I think we have forgotten how Jesus taught us to give.
Luke 21:1-4 NASBI don't have enough faith or generosity to give from what I have to live on. So I place my hope in riches so that I might be able to give from my surplus.
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on."
But I'd probably spend that on a vacation or something instead...
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