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Godliness with Contentment is Great Gain

(Midweek Devotion, 1 Timothy 6:6-10)

1 Timothy 6:6-10

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

One of today’s common deception in modern Christianity movement is the use of the Gospel as a solution to life of prosperity. Though the Bible have shown us many great examples of people of God who received and accumulated great wealth in their obedience to God, that does not mean that we also have to focus of such things in our walk of faith. What does the Bible said about prosperities and how the people of God should treat such things.

In our Midweek Devotion, Apostle Paul gave us one of the famous quote that is being used both by Christian and secular communities, which is “money is the root of all evil.” This may sound enticing to believe, but this is a distorted view of the biblical text from this epistle.

Clearly, Apostle Paul did not refer to “the money” as the object for the root of all evil. Instead, he carefully said that “THE LOVE of money IS the root of all evil.” The subject he refers to as “The Love of Money” refers to utmost desire for materialism. Snatching our affection towards God to any material things such as money, or wealth, or material prosperities.

Paul warned Timothy, his co-labourer in Christ the danger to fall in that trap of materialism. Paul, who is a tent maker, always lived according to his own means while travelling in his mission fields not being a burden to anyone (1 Thessalonians 2:9). In this experience, Paul also learned the value of being contented, living according to his means. It is evident to one of his epistle to the Philippians church where he said in Philippians 4:11-13:

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

His contentment is partnered with His faith in Christ Jesus who commissioned him to go throughout the world to bring the good news of salvation. It is not surprising to give similar advise to Timothy, that godliness with contentment is great gain. For serving God faithfully without aim for any material gain, you gain more indeed. This give us the strength to do even an impossible things we think we can do, but with God, everything is possible to those who believe.

Is your walk of faith in Christ Jesus driven by prosperities? Or driven by reverence and awe to Him and to His characters and attributes?

Are we taken over by material blessings? Or are we overtaken by His spiritual beautitudes?

Paul said, if you have food and clothing, with these we will be content. The simplicity of life that we have enough to look after our physical needs for nourishment and care. More than that, let us observe if we are in the business of pursuit of riches to the extent that we elevate our love for it above or higher than our love to God Almighty.

In many exhortations for giving in the church, there are occassion that people say that we can give three Ts to God - your Time, Talents, or Treasures. All these three, indeed, can be usefule for material prosperity. Time, for instance, is useful for any investment strategy either natural or manufacture growth. Talents, is your ability to generate wealth as per Deuteronomy 8:18. Treasures, inherited or worked, adds to your net worth materially.

There is no wrong to use them for such gains, however, if your heart is filled with these desires more than the desire to please and/or to follow God; there the act of love is more towards material gains than towards God who gives you spiritual gains with eternal significance.

I urge you brethren, let us not befall on such trap. We who live in this great country of Australia, are easy to snatch our attention and affection to Christ Jesus in exchange of comfortable life. We can have such physical comfort or material security yet our spirit has no rest at all.

Jesus raised this question too in Matthew 16:26 asking, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"

Obviously the answer is no, for only God can save our spritually dead souls back to life. Not just in this lifetime, but for all eternity. Walk in our calling. Trust in Him and He will not forgotten you.

Matthew 10:28-31

28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

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