Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. – 1 Timothy 6:6-7
Notice, Paul says that godliness with contentment is not just gain, but great gain. If you have godliness with contentment, it will be of huge advantage to you. Why? Paul gives four reasons.
He says, “If getting rich is your goal…”
- You cannot keep what you gain
“We brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out” (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
“Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (6:9-10). If you set your heart on money, you expose yourself to powerful temptations that ruin many people. - You may wander from the faith
“It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith” (6:10). In the Parable of the Sower, our Lord spoke about seed choked by thorns. The seed is God’s Word. The thorns are “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things” (Mk. 4:19). Money chokes the fruit of God’s Word in the lives of some people. - You will experience great sorrow
“It is through this craving that some have… pierced themselves with many pangs” (6:10). Learn the art of contentment. This rare jewel is not found when you have more but when you have less. Bring your desires down to the level of your possessions. Learn to enjoy what God has given more than you grieve what He has taken away.
When have you experienced one of these four dangers in your own life?
