Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Stewardship of Resources
1 Timothy 6:17-21
v17-21 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith.
1 Timothy 6:17-21
v17-21 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith.
Paul was writing to Timothy, who was pastoring the Church of Ephesus, leaving Timothy with some final exhortations and instructions. Ephesus was one of the most beautiful cities of the ancient world; prosperous and highly sophisticated, and some of the wildly and lavishly wealthy people lived her. Paul was instructing Timothy to address these wealthy people by commanding them “not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God”. Notice the words used her: haughty, trust and uncertain. These are the dangers of wealth. Haughty means arrogant and high-minded. Some rich people have a tendency to be arrogant and to trust or depend on their wealth too much. And, they do not have the humility to realize or accept the fact that wealth is uncertain. Paul is sending them a dire warning about the dangers of too much dependence on wealth.
Now this brings us to the question: is wealth bad? Can you be good and still be rich? Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Matt. 19:23-24).
Paul does not seem to be against wealth or the rich enjoying their wealth. Listen to his words; “God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy”. He is only warning those who wealthy and at the same time arrogant and selfish. He is urging them to be selfless and to be generous; to be good and do good. They must be willing to share. There is a tendency among some rich people to think that their wealth is theirs to enjoy an that they have acquired everything because of their smarts.
We often forget that everything we possess is a gift from God and that we are only the stewards of what we possess. We also forget that just as God gives us the riches, so can he remove them from us in a matter of minutes. This is why Paul rebukes them “ no to trust in uncertain riches”. Some, if not all, rich people have a tendency to put too much trust in their wealth and pay homage to it.
Paul concludes his instructions to Timothy by warning him to “guard against false teachings”. Obviously, there were instances where people were interpreting the Gospel in misleading ways. Paul is asking Timothy to reject and avoid false teachers and false teachings, to avoid the profane and idle babbling and contradictions: being taught among the people of Ephesus.
Now this brings us to the question: is wealth bad? Can you be good and still be rich? Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Matt. 19:23-24).
Paul does not seem to be against wealth or the rich enjoying their wealth. Listen to his words; “God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy”. He is only warning those who wealthy and at the same time arrogant and selfish. He is urging them to be selfless and to be generous; to be good and do good. They must be willing to share. There is a tendency among some rich people to think that their wealth is theirs to enjoy an that they have acquired everything because of their smarts.
We often forget that everything we possess is a gift from God and that we are only the stewards of what we possess. We also forget that just as God gives us the riches, so can he remove them from us in a matter of minutes. This is why Paul rebukes them “ no to trust in uncertain riches”. Some, if not all, rich people have a tendency to put too much trust in their wealth and pay homage to it.
Paul concludes his instructions to Timothy by warning him to “guard against false teachings”. Obviously, there were instances where people were interpreting the Gospel in misleading ways. Paul is asking Timothy to reject and avoid false teachers and false teachings, to avoid the profane and idle babbling and contradictions: being taught among the people of Ephesus.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, give us the humility, insight, wisdom and knowledge to realize and accept that everything we have is your gift and we are only stewards of it. Help us to be selfless and be generous with what is given to us and be rich toward God. Amen
Thought for the day
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Matthew 6:21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Matthew 6:21
Paul Varghese, Carmel Mar Thoma Church, Boston
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church