Riches
Timothy is concerned for those who want to be rich.
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. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith. Grace be with you. - 1 Tim. 6:6-21
I purchased Lottery tickets earlier this week, but I haven't checked my numbers. I do that often, put off checking because it prolongs the hope.
I know, deep down, that the chances of winning are super slim, but it is nice to think there is a possibility.
What I would do if I won is something else altogether.
Timothy gives advice here as well, telling us, if we are rich, to be rich in good works.
He is not saying it is bad to be rich, and that is a bit surprising because we tend to think that is Jesus's message. He did tell the young man to sell everything and follow him, so you would think having stuff is bad.
It's easy to be judgmental about wealth. Billionaires are often the target of those who feel they, the ones with an abundance of wealth should solve the problems in the world, like poverty and homelessness.
Some do. Look how many billionaires are giving away their money to worthy causes.
Timothy warns that some who obtain riches or seek to obtain them, fall into destruction and ruin. For some reason, though, most of us don't feel bad for them when that happens.
We can empathize with someone who becomes homeless after losing his job or becoming an addict, but if that person was rich, we tend to call it Karma.
I'm not saying we should feel sorry for the rich because it is a burden to have so much money that they will be tempted by it, but we can be less judgmental.
Wealth is relative. For some a million dollars would be nice, but they will still have to work. For others, wealth is having a healthy child, being able to breathe without pain, having a place to live, seeing the sun rise every morning.
Everyone who spends their life chasing rainbows and lottery tickets accumulating financial wealth, will one day long for the next sunrise, the smile of a child, the embrace of a loved one, the chance to be alive one more day.
To paraphrase Jesus who spoke of the splinter and the log in our eye, we should see the wealth we have before judging the wealth of others.
More to come...