Thursday 8 February, 2018

These are the things you are to teach and insist on. 3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Verse 10 says that some people wander from true faith, because of their craving for money. ‘They pierce themselves with many sorrows’. Paul reminds Timothy to keep teaching the wholesome teachings of The Lord Jesus Christ, because they promote a Godly life. There are others at this time who are promoting their own interpretations of the truth, arguing about trivialities. They are trouble makers with corrupt minds. They teach and gather followers in order to make themselves rich. So greed and arrogance underlie their words.

I suppose I think of cult leaders and some of the tele-evangelists who have fallen from grace when I read this.  Enticed by money and status, they distort the gospel and defraud people.  The result of this is that they pierce themselves with many sorrows. They forget that Jesus is our ‘man of sorrows’.  When we keep our eyes on Him and His truth, we will be blessed with contentment. Contentment is a place of peace where we give thanks for having enough; for the gift of what ever God has placed in our lives. When we acknowledge that ‘Christ is enough for me’.

Don’t pick up and carry the sorrows that Jesus bore for you on the cross, instead give thanks for the large and small gifts in your life, receiving the joy of His goodness.

Dear Lord please don’t let me love or crave worldly things because I don’t want to be lured away from you. Help me to continually thank you for what I have today. Amen

Written by Dimity Milne