Rich Again

6 min read

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. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

— 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Every good thing we enjoy in this life comes from God, and Paul tells Timothy here that God “richly provides” those things “for our enjoyment.” It is foolish to think that “everything” means everything, because “not everything is beneficial” and “not everything is constructive” (1 Corinthians 10:23). Furthermore, those good things that God provides may become idols in our lives if we allow ourselves to be “mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Wealth is a goal for many people, if not most people, in our society. We are all taught to value wealth, in and of itself, from the moment that we are born. It is because we have been “brainwashed” by the worldview of modernism for hundreds of years. And that is the case even though we live in a postmodern world now. Some people even call our present age “post Christian”—in other words, anti-Christian.

Anyway, modernism is basically a materialistic worldview. If we can’t see it, it ain’t there. If science can’t detect it, it ain’t there. And so, in the pursuit of good things to enjoy in this life, the most immediate and direct correlation that people observe is that money is the key to acquiring those good things.

But that materialistic worldview is faulty on so many levels.

Before the modern era, people still wanted to pursue good things to enjoy, but they also recognized that there is a great mystery to existence, which they rightly correlated to God. But the modern era made humanity smarter in some ways, but profoundly stupid and arrogant in others.

The idea that drove modernism, was something called positivism. It is the idea that humanity can pretty much solve any problem through science, technology, and medicine. But that positivism also assumes that humanity can solve the problem of sin—which it cannot. That assumption is profoundly arrogant and stupid.

Paul tells us that there is a way to acquire good things for our enjoyment, but we have to stop pursuing good things for our enjoyment. Instead, we have to put our hope in God for everything. We have to seek first (make it the priority of our lives to pursue) the kingdom of God and His righteousness—then, Behold!, good things for our enjoyment.

And the first response of our enjoyment must be to acknowledge that every good thing comes from God and to praise His name. And also “to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” And then, Behold!, a deposit of treasure in heaven! And for now, “life that is truly life”—that is, eternal life. So smart! A+!

Father, every good and perfect gift comes from You. Thank You for every blessing that I am able to enjoy according to the riches of Your abundant grace. But thank You most of all for saving me and calling me Your son. In Jesus’s name. Amen.