For the Love of the Gain

There is a part of me that longs for wealth. Not just any small fraction of my being but a big part, too big a part. I want luxury, security, and pleasure. The thoughts of comforting insurance policies, smart financial investments, and higher salaries float around in my head too regularly.

I’m facing a very difficult tension. A Christian society that says most of these things are good and wise to pursue. In fact, this is often termed good stewardship, a godly trait. And the other side, a radical lifestyle of poverty, sacrifice, and selflessness that Christ’s own life portrayed.

I attempt to filter our culture’s espoused needs with the values of scripture and it exhausts me. Isn’t it a good thing to be concerned with retirement and children’s education funds? Was Christ not worried about such things only because he knew he would die at the age of 33 and that he would father no children and leave behind no wife?

I’ve been reading through the New Testament books that follow the Gospels and this morning concluded I Timothy. Here is the passage that continued my wrestling over this matter.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 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. 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."

Why am I not content with just knowing that I will be clothed and fed till the end of my days? Oh, and does this assurance entail name brands, large wardrobes, and fun dates to our favorite restaurants?

Some seem content with their answers to these questions but for us it is an ongoing battle. We are striving to make wise decisions with the provisions we are given without falling in love with the safety and material possessions we can purchase with it, remembering that we take nothing with us.

It seems that my longing needs to shift to contentment.