“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.” 1 Timothy 6:17
Are you rich? I don’t mean to be prying into your financial affairs. When I ask that question, I’m actually asking about your attitude. Do you feel like you have enough money to meet your needs? Do you think you have enough possessions? Or is there that one thing that if you just had, you’d be happy? If I could only live in that neighborhood, or drive that car or wear those clothes, or be able to travel to that place, then I’d be happy. The truth is, if you’re not happy now, you won’t be happy if you have those things.
This verse tells us that wealth is uncertain. If we just look at our world, we see the truth of that. Think about it. How easy is it to lose all our money? One unexpected crisis and suddenly our comfortable nest egg is gone. Now what? How do we respond as we watch the things that were our supposed source of happiness run down the drain? It’s scary to think that our happiness depends on money.
Let’s go back to my first question: Are you rich? The truly wealthy are those who know that real wealth doesn’t depend on their bank balance. It doesn’t matter if you live in a mansion or a one room hut. If you’re looking to God to supply your needs, you’re wealthy. You never have to worry about money running out or some catastrophic event wiping out your resources. God’s riches are endless. And He will always meet all our needs.
This verse goes beyond our needs. It says that He will also supply everything for our enjoyment. There are those times when I live as if I don’t believe this verse. I may be believing that God will meet my needs, but I fall into the trap of thinking that if I just had one more thing, then He would also be providing for my enjoyment. But this verse doesn’t say that He’s going to provide. It says He already is providing. So if I’m not satisfied, it just may be that I’m looking to the wrong things to provide enjoyment. The truth is, there are things all around us to fill us with pleasure if we would only see all that God has already provided. Too often, I miss that because I have my eyes fixed on the one thing I don’t have instead of enjoying the many things He’s already given me. When we change our focus to see all that God has already richly provided, we’ll see that we are rich beyond measure!