“Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.”
—1 Timothy 6:6-8
PEOPLE WHO LOVE money are always discontent in life. The more they have the more they want and the more they want the more discontent they become. “Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20). Those who love money spend their time pursuing things that cannot bring them peace or contentment, and they ignore the things that have eternal value. “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
AND SO, OUR TEXT says, “having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” The Apostle Paul said to be content with the basic necessities of life because if you don’t learn to be satisfied with little, you will never be content with much. Paul is not condemning material possessions if God gives them to us, but the accumulation of these things should not be the overwhelming passion of our life. The philosophy of the world is “the one who dies with most toys wins,” but Scripture says, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” (Mark 8:36) Jesus also said in Luke 12:15, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
WHAT SCRIPTURE CONDEMNS is a self-indulgent desire for money that comes from a heart of discontentment. This is a person who is not satisfied with what the Lord provides. The supreme goal of every believer must be a passion to glorify God by seeking first His kingdom and righteousness and not chasing after riches. “Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33). Remember the rich man who wanted to pull down his barns and build greater barns and store all his crops and goods, the man who said to his soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:19-21).
WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have an overwhelming passion to possess more and more money and material goods, or are you striving to be content with what the Lord provides? Are you seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, or are you seeking first material wealth? Remember that “the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). Examine your heart in this matter by meditating on the words of Jesus from Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Friday Devotional: January 24, 2025
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
