TITLE: False Hope
SCRIPTURE: 1 Tim 6:9, 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.
OBSERVATION: In his first letter to Timothy, Paul instructs him to teach and command his church members to beware of the temptation and potential destruction of seeking worldly wealth. Over the years of ministry Paul had witnessed many people, and some Christians who had succumbed to the lure and power of money only to find themselves in moral and emotional ruin as a result.
APPLICATION: Many Christians have used this verse to provide evidence that wealth is inherently evil and that we should stay away from it. But that was not Paul’s intent at all. It wasn’t the wealth in itself that is sinful, but the hope that we place on our wealth. In other words, if we are blessed with material or personal wealth, but don’t become arrogant or misguided about the importance of our wealth, then we can actually be fruitful in helping to build God’s kingdom with these assets. In the other hand, if we make our wealth the center of our hope and reliance, then greed will gradually erode our hearts and draw us away from the things of God.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, teach me to view and value your material blessings with the right attitude and heart. Never let ‘things’ take center-stage in my life, instead help me to keep focused on your kingdom, and to be more concerned about building an eternal treasure then a temporal treasure that will erode with time.
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