Godliness with Contentment
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1 Timothy 6:3-10
3. If any one teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching which accords with godliness, 4. he is puffed up with conceit, he knows nothing; he has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, 5. and wrangling among men who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6. There is great gain in godliness with contentment; 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 shall be content. 9. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.
These verses caught my eye this morning on several levels. First of all, we’re buying a house and so money is a topic of conversation—or at least it would seem to be. But really, we’re focusing more on how we’ll arrange our furniture and on how we’ll enjoy more space, and where my husband can plant his new garden—and he’s almost giddy at the thought of his “700 sq. foot garage!” The lender would not be that thrilled to read that we’re not really even thinking about the money. We knew how much we could comfortably pay for a house without making that our purpose for working. We’ve never wanted anything big and fancy—we’re pretty simple, down-to-earth types. I can really relate to verse 8: but if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
The lender sends me daily updates of what documentation they need to prove we have money, to prove we will have money, to prove we’re complying with all their requirements. And I’m just not too stressed about it! Don’t get me wrong—that’s their job! They’re in charge of money. So we’ve adopted the attitude that we don’t need to be! God has always, absolutely always, provided for us. He has never left us with nothing. He has always given us, in fact, more than we earned, certainly more than we deserved—not just financially, but certainly financially as well as in other ways.
This is quite a different perspective for me. Several months ago, after a very stressful year of working on a big project with high visibility and a great deal hanging in the balance for our owners, I couldn’t be quite as “laid back” about money (or anything else!) – for the company, for myself-what I was worth (certainly more than they were paying me!), for all the things I wanted out of life—more time with my family, less time traveling. And my husband just finished up his first year at a new job. So the last 12 months have been quite a roller coaster for us!
Don’t get me wrong: I advocated for a raise for myself, and for additional staff to help me carry out all the grand plans that were made as a result of my work last year! And I got both. But what I really got was a realization of what is important. When it came down to it—I told my boss I would be satisfied if I could only pick one (money or help) I would opt for an assistant over money – even though I got both. I only asked for that—but received more than I expected. I deserved neither—we had a mutually agreed upon arrangement: I show up for work and do what they tell me to do and they give me a paycheck every month! It really does come down to that! Though in the midst of it all I did not have nearly that healthy, faith-grounded attitude!
So how does this all tie into the scripture? It’s about focus. It’s about grounding. It’s about what we place our faith in – rather in whom we place our faith. What is the basis for our life decisions? It is Christ-centered? Is it about living out our lives as disciples? It’s okay to make money – the more the better in my book! But if that’s all I’m working for, I’m going to miss out on so much! I’m not going to have time to spend with my family and friends. I’m not going to enjoy my home—which I’ve worked hard for and saved money to buy. More than that, my relationship with my Lord will suffer. Because if He’s not front and center, then nothing else matters.
I hope as you start out this work-week, you’ll take a few minutes to decide the focal-point of your efforts. And that you’ll decide to work to live, not live to work.
Mary
