Paul has been warning Timothy about material ambition. We always pursue the things that we develop a taste for. As we all know you can develop cravings for things that are bad for you. But you can also change your tastes by changing your diet. You can develop a taste for what is substantial and healthy so that your craving for unhealthy food becomes an aversion. Paul exhorts Timothy not to join the race for wealth but rather to pursue what is truly good for our souls: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. In this sense Paul agrees with the Greek philosopher Socrates who believed that it was impossible to be happy without also being virtuous. To have good character is to have a rich soul. This is the wealth that contents the heart. In other words, contentment comes not from what you have, but who you are. We can expend a lot of energy cultivating our income whilst neglecting the cultivation of our character. A rich soul is distinguished by its output rather than its intake. Paul exhorts those who are wealthy (and note that he does not condemn them for being wealthy) to become generous givers. Generosity can turn a big bank account into a rich soul. We tend to assess a good financial year by how much we earned. But I would encourage you to assess each year by how much you gave. That is the measure of true wealth.
Ask God to lead you into situations that will develop your character.
Read 1 Timothy 6:11-21
