Category: 1 Timothy

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

Tonight my wife and I went out for a date.  We also ran some errands. We went to a thrift store and got some fall clothes.  We stopped by Home Depot to get a few things for the yard. We ran by Christmas Tree Shops to get some fall decorations.  We stopped at Burlington Coat Factory to get a new winter jacket for me. All the while, we celebrated our great deals. We had a gift card, and some coupons, and the entire night cost a fraction of what it could have.  Yet when I read verses like this I begin to wonder: am I content?

Paul here sets an ideal for the follower of Jesus: godliness with contentment.  In case we need a clearer standard he lays out what he means: “if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”  The point is clear: unbridled desire is dangerous, and unbridled desire means wanting more than an adequate amount of food and clothing. It is especially dangerous because it is especially easy to justify. We can so easily make excuses.  Yet at its core the issue is simple: am I content or do I spend my life wanting more?

Here’s your freedom for today: God has empowered you to take mastery over your desires.  You are not their slave. If we choose the pathway of self-denial, we will eventually find our self-centered desires being transformed into godly desires.  If we choose to say “no” to our desires, we will eventually find ourselves learning contentment. That is an exciting promise, because as Paul says “true godliness with contentment is great wealth.”

 

“But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.”

I remember the first time I got Poison Ivy.  I was nine years old, and I was helping my dad clear brush at my grandmother’s house.  There was this big hill on one side of her yard, and it was overgrown so thickly that you couldn’t even walk into it.  So, for hours in the hot sun, we cut down and dragged away vines and brush and weeds. The next day, my fingers were uncomfortably itchy.  Soon the skin began to swell and bubble. It got worse when I scratched it, but somehow I couldn’t help it. For days, it drove me crazy. My case of Poison Ivy was so bad that I still have a scar on my left hand from it.  From that day on, I made such to avoid Poison Ivy no matter what.

Paul here is challenging Timothy and us to treat sin and evil like Poison Ivy.  No person who has had Poison Ivy will ever pick it up to examine it. Rather, he would go out of his way to avoid it, staying on paths that are sure to be clear of the stuff.  Sin and evil are far more destructive than Poison Ivy. They harm our relationships, our finances, our self-image, our bodies. They harm those we love and those we want most to care for.  Paul challenges us to keep in mind the inevitable consequences of sin. So even if it starts off looking harmless (much like a Poison Ivy plant might look harmless), keep clear of it.

Here’s your freedom for today: avoiding sin always costs less than exposing yourself to it.  But how do we avoid sin? Paul gives us this direction: “Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”  If we seek to retrain our character towards these virtues we will eventually find ourselves losing our appetite for sin. Then we will really begin to understand what freedom is all about.  

 

“For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.”

I always have a song stuck in my head.  At one point this week it was a song I learned in third grade called “Fried Ham.”  The next day it was an R.E.M. song: “It’s the End of the World As We Know It.” A few hours later it was a worship song: “I Am No Victim.” Each song was triggered by something in the world around me: a ham dinner, an overreaction by a little kid, a news article.  That’s the power of music – it sticks with you, and at the moment you least expect it, a song jumps to mind.

As Paul closes his letter to Timothy, his own writing causes a song to jump to mind.  This happens periodically with Paul. It might be a poem that he himself wrote. Iit is more likely, however that it is a song he knew, perhaps a worship song from the time.  This particular song is rich with deep thoughts. It speaks of the imminent return of Jesus as King of kings. Then it makes a poetic reference to him as the one who “lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach…” This is a reminiscent of the visions of God that several Old Testament Prophets had, particularly Ezekiel (Ez. 1) and Isaiah (Is. 6).  The similarity continues with the celebratory worship phrase “All honor and power to him forever!” which is similar to the angelic song found in Isaiah. Putting it all together, the song Paul quotes places Jesus squarely on the one throne whereupon dwells the One God of Israel. It is a beautiful declaration of the deity of Jesus.

Here is your freedom for today: wisely chosen songs can lift the mind and heal the heart.  The words of this song are deep, rich and profound. They draw the mind and the heart to the true center of the universe: the throne of God.  They add beautiful complexity to our thoughts by painting Jesus into his rightful place on the throne. They inspire hope by reminding us of our great king’s ultimate return.  The words of this song are perfect to help you rejoice on a great day; they are just as perfect to help carry you through a difficult and challenging day. Great songs can often do both.  So what songs are you filling your mind with? Will they draw you closer to the King? Will they encourage and inspire you? Will they teach and train you? These are important questions because whatever you hear today will inform what you think and how you feel tomorrow.  

 

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness. May God’s grace be with you all.”

“Please clear the table,” I said to my six year-old son.  “Please include the glasses,” I found myself saying 2 minutes later.  “And the ketchup….and the salt….and the pepper.” That was how I used to give directions, but I found that frustrating.  So we came up with a new system. My directions became more thorough: “Clean up the table…everything on the table….even the stuff that isn’t yours on the table…yes, everything on the table…”  But if the directions took too long, I knew that I’d typically lose my son’s attention. So they would end with a simple summary: “Wesley. Clear. Table. Now.”

Paul also often closes a letter by summarizing his main point as briefly as possible.  In these few final verses, he captures the main themes of this letter: wealth, truth, foolish talk, and grace in almost the exact opposite order that he originally made the points (which is exactly how my seventh grade English teacher said a closing paragraph should be constructed). In short: wealth isn’t as trustworthy as God, so live your life depending on God not money.  That will eventually put you in a place of leadership, and when you lead avoid foolish discussions that distract from the main point: faith (trust) in Jesus.

Here’s your freedom for today:  God wants to speak to you through the books of the Bible.  Individual verses and phrases of the Bible are wonderful to remember because they can capture an idea that God is impressing on our minds and hearts.  Don’t forget, however, that God inspired the Bible to be written in larger chunks than that – whole letters, multi-volume historical accounts, biographies, and collections of poetry among other things.  Some of God’s most profound lessons are found not in a single verse or even a chapter. They are found in the flow of thought that carries through one of these letters or biographies or poetic compilations.  The Bible may take work to read and understand. That’s ok. God’s truth and wisdom are there, ready to be found, for anyone who takes the time to find it.