Godliness and contentment

1 Timothy 6 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Instructions to Those Who Minister

All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against. ² Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles.

³ If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, ⁴ he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. ⁶ 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.

¹¹ But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴ that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

¹⁷ Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. ¹⁸ Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, ¹⁹ storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

²⁰ O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— ²¹ which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.

Grace be with you.

In today’s text it says:  If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,  and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 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. 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.   Throughout much of the western church the doctrine that is advocated is a doctrine centered on the blessings we receive from God; on prosperity. Many pastors sound more like motivational speakers than those who speak the words of Christ and a doctrine of godliness. Paul says:   We have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.   We live in a time and a culture that knows little of being content with only what we need. We have large homes, multiple vehicles, televisions in several rooms. We have thousand dollar phones and thousand dollar handbags. We have gym memberships and country club memberships. We think nothing of a hundred dollar meal, a hundred dollar ticket to a game or a concert or a five thousand dollar vacation. In regard to many of these things the church looks much the same as the rest of the culture and society. It is not that having money is bad or that enjoying life should be avoided. It is the love of money that Paul says is the root of all sorts of evil. It is not having it that is a problem. It is desiring wealth; not being content without it that plunges men to destruction.  

Paul says:  Flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.  In John 10:10 Jesus says: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  In Matthew 6:33 He says: Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Abundant living does not mean excess of material things. We should have an abundance of:  righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perserverance and gentleness. They are what are abundant in the kingdom. That is what we should seek.   God will take care of everything else that we need. The text continues:  Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.  Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,  storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.  In 2 Timothy 4:2-4 it says:  Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,  and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.    We understand then why so many today speak more like motivational speakers than as those who reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. It is because those with money will not endure a doctrine that teaches them to share and be generous; to give rather than accumulate and enjoy.  You can fill arenas and stadiums if you tickle the ears of the listeners with words and messages of blessing and prosperity. You can write and sell books which outline the process to live abundantly. But if you preach the words of Christ, that in order to live you must first die, it will be hard to fill a small room. The book that outlines the true process of abundant living has already been written.

Guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.   Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit.  Amen.