“Now this is life!” Have you said anything like that while kicking back on vacation with fishing pole in hand, or while taking in the sweeping mountain views from your rented cabin, or while floating on an oversized rubber ducky at a pool somewhere warm? What is it about moments like that that move us to say: “This is life!” I think it’s the relaxation – the feeling that everything is all right with the world because we have left behind all our cares and concerns for the time being and are enjoying the beauty of our surroundings. Wouldn’t it be great if we could wake up every morning, even Mondays, and say, “Ahh, this is life!” We can, we will take hold of that which is truly life, says the Apostle Paul, when we let go of our love for money, grasp on to our loving Saviour, and let loose with acts of service.
At first glance today’s sermon text may not seem to apply to many, if any of us. After all Paul told Timothy: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth” (1 Timothy 6:17). It’s great that Paul wants Timothy to talk some sense into those rich people but what does that have to do with me? I’m not rich. Don’t think so? If you earn $50,000 a year (according to Stats Canada, the average family income in Alberta for 2005 was over $66,000), how rich do you think you are compared to everyone else in the world? If you earn $50,000 a year, you are richer than 98% of the world’s 6 billion people!! Don’t make $50,000 a year? All right. Let’s say you earn $1,500 a year, that’s $28 a week, you are still richer than 70% of the world’s population (figures from globalrichlist.com)! Since I suspect that even the average junior high student here makes at least $1,500 a year from babysitting, cutting lawns, and from their allowance, when Paul tells Timothy to speak to the rich, he’s talking about you and me and we better listen up.
So what does Paul have to say to us? First of all he tells us not to be arrogant. That’s one temptation that comes with money. We are tempted to look down on those who don’t have as much as we do because we figure they didn’t work as hard as we did to get what we have, or weren’t as smart as we were with investments. Our Old Testament lesson should have put a stop to that kind of thinking. Let me read again what Moses told the Israelites: “You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17, 18a). We are among the richest people in the world because God blesses us, not because we are so smart or hardworking. I mean there must be people as smart and as hard working in countries like India and Malaysia but they don’t have the kind of wealth or standard of living we enjoy. Does this mean that God must love us more? Certainly not! He gives to each exactly what they need to survive. In fact Paul said in the verse before our text: “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” (1 Timothy 6:6-8).
It’s hard to be content with what we have. The tycoon, John D. Rockefeller Sr., said it well when he responded to the question of how much money it takes to make a man happy: “Just a little bit more.” And so we too think that if only we had a bit more money, life would be great. That’s why we need to hear Paul’s second warning about money. He said: “Command those who are rich…not 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).
The problem with money is…us! Money itself is not the problem; it’s a blessing from God - something God gives us to enjoy. But our love for money and our reliance on it turns it into a problem. Relying on money is foolish because one bad day on the stock market can wipe out thousands of dollars of your investments. If that’s what you’d been counting on for a comfortable retirement, how are you going to feel? You’ll feel devastated. You may not even think that life is worth living anymore.
But there is no need for us to feel that way – even if our investments aren’t going well. In fact if you want to take hold of that which is really life, then let go of your love for money, Paul urges, and grasp onto your loving Saviour. Relying on money instead of Jesus is like a child relying on a dead branch for a walking stick to get him through the difficult part of the hike instead of holding his father’s proffered hand.
How do we know we can rely on Jesus? Because he is our loving Saviour. Think of what he did for us. He offered his life to pay for our sins like our love for money and our belief that we would be happier if only we had more of it. These sins are a debt we owe God payment on. In terms of accounting, sins are minus signs (-). It was into the midst of our minuses that Jesus inserted himself and made plus signs (+) out of all our minuses (-). This means that our spiritual accounting sheet hasn’t just been balanced, we’re not just debt free towards God, we’re in the black (illustration adapted from Henry A. Simon)! God now “owes” us something. He “owes” us an eternal life of joy and happiness in heaven. All this is because of Jesus, not because of anything we have done. If this is what Jesus has done for us then it only makes sense for us to let go of our love for money and grasp on to our loving Saviour, for if he gives us heaven, what else won’t he give us?
Because Jesus has promised to care for us we are free to let loose with acts of service that leads to that which is truly life. Paul put it this way: “Command [the rich] to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18, 19).
It’s in serving that we find life. No, we don’t earn eternal life; Jesus already earned that for us. Through serving we enjoy the eternal life that Jesus won for us. Think of it this way. How many of you parents have thought that if you inherited millions, you would quit your job and dedicate yourself to raising your kids? Wouldn’t that money free you to serve in that way? Well we’ve done better than inherit millions of dollars. We are heirs of eternal life. We are members of God’s family. And God has promised to give us that which we need so that we are free to serve others. No, don’t quit your jobs, but don’t fret about them either. God will give you what you need.
Humanly speaking of course this doesn’t make sense. We think that if we use our time and money to help others, there won’t be enough left over for us. That’s what a certain widow in the town of Zarephath thought when the prophet Elijah first approached her for something to eat (1 Kings 17). God had sent Elijah to this widow so that she could care for him during the famine that gripped the land. Yet when Elijah arrived the widow was gathering up some sticks to cook the last bit of flour she had for her son and her. After that she expected to starve to death. As she was going about her sad business, Elijah had the gall to ask her to feed him first! At first the widow was reluctant but when Elijah promised that there would be enough for her and her son as well, she did feed him. And she kept feeding Elijah and her family on that little bit of flour until the famine ended two or three years later. Of course God had performed a miracle but can’t he, won’t he do the same for us? Yes! He must do the same for us considering he has promised to provide our daily needs (Matthew 6), and commanded us to serve others. So go ahead. Take time this week to visit that shut-in. Lunch will still find it’s way on the table at home. Give God your first-fruits. You won’t starve come the end of the month. Let loose with acts of service and take hold of that which is really life, because your loving Saviour has hold of you.
I hope you’ve come to see money in a different light this morning. According to Paul, money is not really a financial issue is it? It’s a spiritual one. Your bank and credit card statements are more theological documents than financial statements. What do they say about your love and trust in God? How far have you distanced yourself from the sinful nature’s love for money? No, we don’t need money to survive. We have our loving Saviour. Entrust yourself to him and freed from worries find out what it really means to live. Amen.
