1 Timothy 6:17
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Most of us would not consider ourselves “rich”, largely because we are comparing ourselves to those wealthier than us; in reality, the fact you are reading this indicates that you are likely wealthier than most in the world. A statistic I have heard often is that 1/3 of the world lives on less than $2 a day; in other words, to many in the world we would be considered “those who are rich.” If that is true, what is Paul commanding us?
Chapter 6 speaks at length about how much power people give money over their lives, including the well-known “for the love of money is a root of all evil.” (v10) For some this looks like greed, like those “who think that godliness is a means to financial gain” (v5), though for many of us it is financial fear… “if I don’t have enough money, I can’t survive.” Food, shelter, and water all costs money, so we rest our hope in procuring enough to survive, and a little more to thrive. Paul, though, says to not “put [our] hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put [our] hope in God.” He knew that between God and money, only one can truly be our provider, and that both demand all from us; as Jesus put it in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
To which is your hope tied, God or money?
~~~
You can find live processing videos of each day’s reflection collected here, and Rejecting Hope No Longer: A 31 day devotional on hope here. If you are struggling with hope, I’m hopeful my journey can serve as encouragement.
