Godliness with Contentment

1 Timothy 6:6-8 Caloy Dio

Introduction
I came from a not-so-wealthy, middle class family. When I was a child I envied the other kids in our school because they could afford to have nice toys during Christmas. What I would do to have a toy of my own is to make them by myself. Id put together pieces of wood in the shape of a car and nail bottlecaps on the sides for wheels. When I as growing up I vowed that I would someday be rich so that I will be able to afford the things I want to buy. Then Id be happy. Well, the time came when I could already afford to buy my own stuff. Funny thing is, although stuff would make me a bit excited for a while, but not very long after, the excitement fades and I am sad once more. Soon Id be longing for something more. False Hope We live in a world designed to desire accumulation of wealth and acquisition of earthly things. We always want something bigger, faster, and better. We are conditioned by the media through advertising and entertainment, that we will never be truly happy in this life unless we buy the newest beauty product, or the fastest computer processor or the latest exciting experience. And once we've had them, we are further persuaded that life will be so much better if we will just acquire the next bigger sized product, a faster service, or a much better upgraded gadget. And it goes on and on. This world is also designed to have more and more of the things that seem to give us power, pleasure and a great reputation. We are never content. A man of vast wealth was asked, How much money does it take to make a wealthy man happy? His answer? Just a little more! Exposing the Lie We must be brave enough to accept that the way of the world is not what God intends for us as the way to live our lives. The desire for bigger, faster and better is a lie. In the words of King Solomon, it is chasing after the wind. Life on earth is not meant to be this way. We cannot, and we should not make our own heavens here on earth. We must seek the truth that God has something different, much, much better intentions for us.

Study of the Text

What we will talk about today comes from a passage from the 1st Letter of the Apostle Paul to Timothy. 1 Timothy is one of the 2 pastoral letters written by an ageing Paul to prepare Timothy to take over the work of pasturing the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus had doctrinal issues that needed correcting, as it was plagued by false teachers. In 1 Timothy 6, Paul warned Timothy about these false teachers, and how their unsound doctrines can result in an ungodly life 1 Timothy 6 - 3If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. It is interesting to note that what was happening in the church at Ephesus is still happening to the church today. Religion then, as now is presented as a means of gaining financial prosperity. Pauls advice serves as a serious criticism to the 'prosperity gospel' that became quite popular in some churches for quite a number of years. Prosperity gospel says that since you are a child of the King, then you deserve to live like the child of the King. If you believe and pray very hard, you will soon gain the wealth that you deserve. This is in sharp contrast to what Paul was advising Timothy, starting verse 6: 6Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. This is short but dense passage, and we will look at key words, one by one. First, one must have Godliness. This means a real, true, vital, and spiritual relation with God. This is in contrast to outward acts of religious observances or ceremonies, which can be performed by the flesh, but the heart can be entirely cold before God. God desires that we have a real, life-giving, intimate relationship with God. The second is Contentment. This means self-sufficiency, in a good sense. It means being sufficient within one's self; or being satisfied with ones lot. When one is content, he doesnt aspire for more. This does not mean self-suficiency that no longer needs God. Afterall, it is possible to be satisfied with the things of this world so much so that the hunger and thirst for God begins to be muted.

It is possible to find things in this world that are good, that we pursue and enjoy to the point of satisfaction, to the point that we no longer yearn for what is truly best for us, and that is a deep and soul-satisfying relationship with God. Great gain Paul says that these two together: godliness and contentment is great gain. It means to profit greatly, to acquire something of great value that provides benefits for you. This means that whatever brings this gain about, this is an area of life that is worth investing in. It is a profitable investment. Afterall, Paul says that we brought nothing into the world. We when we were born into the world, we had absolutely nothing. There is nothing in this world that we can claim to be ours. And which means that whatever we received in this world are completely undeserved and are merely gifts that God has given us in His grace and mercy. And we cannot take anything out of the world Our time in this world is limited. There is a deadline. And we will soon pass on from this earthly life. And when we do, whatever earthly wealth we've accumulated in our earthly life will have to be left behind. Story. There is a story of a US CIA agent who was sent to Iraq in disguise to be a spy there. His mission was to activate local people who will fight for their freedom. He was instructed not to worry too much about making money there because he will be well provided for. After many years, the agent became very very wealthy. The time came when he was asked to come back home because the US was about to invade Iraq. In haste he sold all his wealth and brought with him all the Iraqi currency he could get and stuffed them in his luggage. As soon as he entered US soil, immigration asked him why he brought along so much Iraqi cash, when they were practically worthless in the US. This is the picture of people called to follow Jesus and who get too tied up in the concerns for material wealth. It's like the man who died and brought with him all his gold bars. At the gates of heaven the angels guarding the gate asked him, "why did you bring pavement with you?' You see in heaven, the streets are paved with gold... There is a life waiting for us beyond the death of our physical bodies. There is paradise that awaits us behind the curtain between this earth and God's heaven. Then beyond that there is a new heaven and a new earth that awaits us still, when God will finally tabernacle among his people forever. Everything in this earthly world will be renewed. Whatver appears to be valuable here will no longer have that same value in God's new creation. When that time comes all we would ever need would simply be made available to overflowing according to the richness of God, that ownership will no longer make sense. Whatever we need God will simply give. And the 3

one that we need the most, that will satisfy our deepest, most profound desires and longing, which is the self-giving love of God, he will give lavishly. Because we will no longer see him dimly, but we will finally see him face to face. Revelation says that there will no longer be a sun, because we will all bask in the glory of God. Now here is a radical statement from Paul: If we have food and clothing, we will be content. These are the absolute necessities in life. Paul did not even mention shelter. We ill survive in this life and accomplish the purposes of God for us in this world, even if all we have is the minimum amount of food needed to survive, and even just the clothes on our back. Jesus said that among those born of a woman, no one has arisen greater than his cousin, John the Baptizer. And this guy whom Jesus paid tribute to, wore clothes made of camel hair, and all he ate was honey and locusts (Matthew 3:4). His diet and weird fashion sense did not hinder him from accomplishing God's will Money: the Root of Evil Then in verse 9 and following, Paul gave a warning about the desire for wealth, 9But 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. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. Money is not the root of all evil, unlike what some people who do not know the bble say. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. Loving something we are not meant to love makes us less than what God intends for us. It makes us less of a person who bears the image of God. We are in a way dehumanized by our love, even worship of money. Instead of the pursuit of money, Paul encourages Tim to pursue the very qualities of Christlikeness: 11But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Bishop NT Wright of the Anglican church, one of the foremost theologians of the 21st Century, said that we become very much like the one we love. I think that's the reason why a man and a woman who love one another slowly grow to look like one another. So if we worship money, we will look less human, and more like the idol that we worship--mukhang pera. But if we worship God, then we begin to look more like Him and His Son. We become more like Christ.

Reflection

What the present world says about money is radically different from what the Bible says. The Bible tells us to be wary of desiring to accumulate wealth. God doesnt say this because he is a killjoy or a spoilsport. God always has our best interest in mind. God does not impose difficult and non-pleasurable duties on us like a fraternity would impose on its neophytes before they are accepted into the group, as though God requires initiation before we become members of his kingdom. Instead, God desires that we pursue treasures in heaven, the things that are truly valuable before God. Somehow having these treasures have something to do with forsaking the things that we treasure here on earth. Mark 10:17-30 talks about the rich young man who had difficulty giving up his wealth. Jesus is basically saying that it is difficult for those unwilling to let go of their wealth to enter the Kingdom of God. But those who do, Jesus promises that they will receive back what they gave up a hundred (100) foldit may be on this life, but definitely in the life to come, eternal life. It is more like delayed gratification. It is like the experiment on preschool kids to see if they are willing to forego immediate gratification on a candy for the promise of receiving two candies as a reward for waiting. We delay gratification of our earthly desires for something much better, for the things that are eternal. Contentment is a form of worship. It is a statement on the way we live our lives that say we desire God so much more than what the world can ever offer. And we do it by not gratifying our desires the way the world does. It is a statement that says Christ is enough. Christ is our satisfaction. Christ is our all in all. Is it wrong to have wealth? To more than enough? To have more than you can ever spend in your life? Is it wrong to possess material wealth? Is it evil to enjoy pleasurable experiences that bring a sense of excitement in our lives? No. It is part of our being human. Of course there are boundaries set by godliness and holiness. But if we walk within the boundaries, we would be living, as may be considered within God's permissive will. But as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:23, everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. What does God require of us? God desires that those who are blessed become a blessing to other people. In Micah 6:8 tells us that God requires us to do justice, to love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. And this means that God desires us to be instruments of justice and mercy in the world. The wealth that we possess are merely resources entrusted to us. We are stewards of God's wealth. And God continuously invites us to participate in His work on earth, of making disciples of all peoples, and in helping the poor. Godliness + contentment = great gain. As we remain in intimate relationship with God, and as we remain content in the sufficiency of Christ, then the more we will become like our Lord, and the more that we will become channels of his justice, mercy and grace. And when this increasingly happens in our lives, then God is glorified in us. 5