October 10, 2023
Passage Read: 1 Timothy 5-6
Meditation Verses: 6:6-10
Thought
Godliness with contentment is great gain. My greatest desire needs to be to grow in godliness, not grow my bank account or earthly assets. I came into the world with nothing, and I will leave the world with nothing but what I have done for the kingdom of God. If I have food and clothing, I should be content with that. That aligns with what Jesus said, that the Father promises food and clothing to those who seek first His kingdom and righteousness. Paul implies that to long for and labor for things beyond this is to love money and desire to get rich, which proves to be a trap that leads to many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin. Where do you hear that preached today? Today we hear all kinds of justification for becoming wealthier, not necessarily rich but better and better off, that it glorifies God and makes His gospel more attractive. So we blind ourselves to what the love of money looks like, especially as compared to the love of God. We deliberately blur those lines, so that we can even prove Jesus wrong, in that we can love Him and love the world. We don't realize where our heart actually lies, that we're no longer seeking first His kingdom and righteousness.
Application
There is no eternal benefit to getting or being rich in this world. And there is real danger in desiring more wealth and possessions here. My heart needs to be fully committed to seeking and serving the Lord, with little concern for material comfort, and what concern I have for that should be entrusted to God. God wants me to be filled with concern for His kingdom and His righteousness, to be striving to grow those two things, in pursuit of knowing and being with Him. The things of this world have only utilitarian value, and no eternal value. I need to be most concerned about making friends for eternity, and any earthly asset should be bent toward that purpose, without turning that into an excuse to gather worldly assets. The more simply I live, the more time I can invest in building His kingdom and seeking His righteousness.