People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 1 Timothy 6:9 (NIV)
Paul is saying here, in effect, “If getting rich is your goal, here’s what you can expect…”
- You cannot keep what you gain.
We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it (6:7). You may get rich, but you cannot stay rich. You cannot keep what you gain in this world. - You will encounter powerful temptations.
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction (6:9). So, if you set your heart on money, you expose yourself to powerful temptations that ruin many people. - You may wander from the faith.
Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith (6:10). In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus talks about seed choked by thorns and thistles. The seed is God’s Word, and thorns and thistles are “the worries of this life, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things” (Mark 4:19). Money chokes the fruit of God’s Word in the lives of some people. - You will experience great sorrow.
Some people, eager for money, have…pierced themselves with many griefs (6:10).
Money is a great servant but a terrible master. Those are four powerful reasons for not setting your heart on money.
Order these from 1 (greatest) to 4 (least) in terms of the motivation they are for you to get free from the love of money. Talk to God about them.