READING: Jeremiah 14-17, 1 Timothy 6
I’ve spoken at many funerals over the years. Some have been the tragic, unexpected death of a young person, and others have been the expected deaths of older saints. I’ve officiated funerals of babies, teens, young adults, median adults, and senior adults. I’ve buried poor people and rich people – and I can testify that Paul’s words to Timothy are indeed true: “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out” (1 Tim 6:7). Never have I seen anyone take anything with him into death.
Paul’s overall point was that we need to live with an eternal perspective. When we realize that life is much more than the “stuff” we get but can’t take with us, we begin to learn what really matters. What we learn is that godliness matters, and “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim 6:6). Contentment comes when we’re grateful simply to have food and clothing—not when we’re striving to get rich. In fact, Paul says that those who want to be rich “fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction” (1 Tim 6:9). His point was not to condemn wealth in general, but to warn against the “love of money” that is “a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim 6:10).
I must confess that I’m not always content with food and clothing—so this reading convicts and challenges my heart. Even though I know I can’t take anything with me, I still at times focus on what I don’t have and what I still want to get. May God break me of this pattern.
PRAYER: “God, make me content with the blessings You’ve given me.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Jeremiah 18-21, 2 Timothy 1:1-2:13