1Ti 6:6-10 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. (7) For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. (8) If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. (9) But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. (10) 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.
Lori and I have been in many different places over the past few years. We have dined in some very elaborate restaurants with people who have amazing incomes and we have had nuts and bananas in a very modest home in the remotest parts of Africa. One thread that knits these wonderful life events together is the love of Jesus Christ and the contentment that we experienced in each place.
Paul shares with us in these verses that godliness is of the greatest gain when accompanied by contentment. Often it is easy to pursue riches for the sake of riches, but what we often find is that pursuit leads to a life of ruin and destruction. Riches pursued out of the love for material things will cause our heart to stumble and cause grief in our life that we never intended.
The American Dream says to work hard so you can have much. A big home, large bank account, comfortable lifestyle and more are all promises that are supposed to fulfill our heart and leave us in a better place. But the exact opposite is actually true. I have found that wherever we go in this great big planet of ours, the ones who experience the true joy in life are those who are content right where God has them, regardless of their income level.
Seeking the Kingdom of God is of utmost importance rather than the pursuit of material things. God has designed many men and women to have the talent and drive to make a lot of money, and that is a good thing as it takes money to reach the lost for Christ. So the pursuit of money for the sake of the kingdom is of utmost importance. There is a place for those who strive for prosperity for a purpose, but prosperity for selfish gain and worldly possessions will leave one empty and wanting more.
Whether you are one who has great wealth or you are one who has very little material possessions, Paul shares here that the Gospel message and godliness should bring us great gain… through our contentment in Jesus Christ, not through our contentment in our wealth.
Where are you at today? Are you seeking Christ and content in Him or have you found yourself down a path of seeking out the next dollar so you can have more material things in hopes that they will satisfy your deepest desires? God isn’t calling us to not make money, but not to use the Gospel message for our own financial gain and to place our contentment in the gain that comes from our relationship with Jesus Christ.