The presence of false teachers who taught for financial gain prompts Paul to make some simple but profound comments on the issue of wealth. According to Paul, the secret of being a good steward of money is to be content without it. “If we have food and clothing,” he says, “we will be content with that.” The Austrian novelist, Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, said “To be content with little is hard, but to be content with much is impossible.” Generally, the more you have the more you want. What causes us so much anxiety in life is not having little but constantly wanting more. Human greed is an expression of our ‘god-complex.’ People strive to be the gods of their own little heavens and seek wealth to gain power to make this possible. The reason people are never content is because they are never able to convince themselves they have achieved this goal. That’s because it is based on a delusion. But rather than throw off the delusional endeavour for godlike power, they just do more of the wrong thing in pursuit of the elusive goal. The acquisition of wealth is not a sin; in fact, it can be a great blessing. But context is everything. If our wealth is not made to serve God’s purpose, then it too easily becomes a tool for our self-deification. Money is not evil. It gives us access to many good things and can be used to love and bless people. The love of money however, as Paul says, is the root of all evil. Love God and others with your money lest your possessions possess you.
Reflect on your state of contentment and ask God to give you greater joy in him.
Read 1 Timothy 6:1-10
