Bible Verse of the Day Friday October 9th 2020

1 Timothy 6:9 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.

From verse 3 to verse 10 in 1 Timothy chapter 6, Paul speaks of false teachers and the love of money. Interestingly, these two topics would be blended together in this letter to Timothy from Paul. This connection is made in the wave of a prosperity gospel that is engulfing American Christianity today. Their theses are that the gospel is all about the individual and what they can get out of it. Some other names that are given to this new wave of belief are, “Name it and claim it gospel” along with “health and wealth gospel.” No matter what it is called, it teaches that it is God’s desire for all Christians to be physically healthy and materially wealthy. The teaching inside of this false prosperity gospel is that all Christians should pray for material success from God. 

The desire for material wealth is much more dangerous than the wealth itself. It is not just the people with no massive wealth who desire to be wealthy; the wealthy themselves want more and more riches. Being poor does not necessarily mean Godly and being wealthy does not indicate being un-Godly. There were several great people of God throughout the Old Testament that were very materially wealthy, Abraham, David, and Solomon, to name a few. However, the Godly materially wealthy people have their hearts set much like the Psalmist.

Psalm 62:10b though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them

You will notice that Paul does not say that rich people fall into temptation and traps; he says that those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and get caught in one or more of Satan’s traps and snares. There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things in life and better oneself financially. The problem comes when that desire overrides our desire for spiritual riches, leading to traps that are exceedingly difficult to escape. 

There is another verse in this section of 1 Timothy that some people get confused when they use it as a quote; you have no doubt heard it said that money is the root of all evil. That is not what Paul said in this chapter; it was not his intent when he wrote this (1 Timothy 6:10). It is not money itself that is the root of all evil; it is the love of money. It is when your life is so focused on making more and more money that you fall away from the love of Christ Jesus (Matthew 22:37-40). This verse of scripture is the two greatest commandments in which Christ Jesus tells us we should love God and people with all our hearts. If you surrender part of your heart and soul to the pursuit of making more and more money, then you cannot give all your heart to the love of Christ Jesus and the love of other people. Jesus put it as clear, well-defined, and as perfect as it ever must be (Matthew 6:24). In our prayers, let us ask God to help us be satisfied with the blessings that He has bestowed upon us, and to keep our focus and our love directed towards Him