cultivating a heart of...

CULTIVATING A HEART OFCONTENTMENTby Gary Inrig

IIt’s easy to be cynical aboutreligious fundraisers. They talkabout giving to God by writing

out a check to them. It’s also easy to forget,

however, that Jesus talked moreabout money than He did aboutheaven. Yet I’ve never heardanyone suggest that Jesus “was in it for the money.”

In this excerpt of the book True North, pastor Gary Inrig offers a compass for our souls. Heexpresses, on behalf of our Lord,that a generous heart is not somuch about money as it is aboutfinding the joy and contentment of the One who has made us forHimself.

Martin R. De Haan II

CONTENTS

Load Limits(1 Tim. 6:3-16). . . . . . . . . 2

Money Matters(1 Tim. 6:17-19). . . . . . . 19

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo:Terry BidgoodScripture taken from the New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.All rights reserved.This booklet is based on a portion of True North by Gary Inrig, published by Discovery HousePublishers, a non-profit affiliate of RBC Ministries.© 2005 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

HP052 Contentment pp 10/17/05 4:02 PM

© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

LOAD LIMITS

SSamuel Plimsoll was a man with a burden.Involved in the

coal trade in 19th-centuryEngland, he became aware ofthe terrible dangers faced bysailors. Every year, hundredsof seamen lost their lives onships that were dangerouslyoverloaded. Unscrupulousship owners, pursuing ever-greater profits, were more than willing to put the lives of others at risk. Ships loadedalmost to the deck line leftport, only to founder at sea,an event received with delightby owners, who stood to make even greater profits from insurance. In 1873, anastonishing 411 ships sank,taking hundreds of men to watery graves. To makematters even worse, if a mansigned up for a voyage, hecouldn’t back out, no matterhow unsafe he considered the ship to be. The law firmlysupported the ship owners

and made it a crime to jumpship, no matter how unsafethe vessel was. In the early1870s, one of every threeprisoners in southwestEngland was a sailor who had refused to sail on whathad become known as “coffin ships.”

This problem becamePlimsoll’s mission. His ideawas simple. Every shipneeded a load line, indicatingwhen it was overloaded. Withthat in mind, Plimsoll ran forParliament in 1868 and waselected. Immediately he beganan intense campaign to savethe lives of British sailors. Hegave passionate speeches inthe House of Commons andwrote a book that shocked the public by its exposure of conditions. Gradually he won over public opinion and shamed the governmentinto taking action. TheUnseaworthy Vessels Bill was passed in 1875, and thefollowing year, a bill writtenby Plimsoll, which required a

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load line, passed. But, underpressure from vested interests,Parliament compromised. Itallowed a ship’s owner to putthe line wherever he desired.

Plimsoll fought on foranother 14 years until lawswere passed to make sure thatthe line was set at a level thatwould ensure the safety of theship. In time, his load linebecame the internationalstandard. Today, in every portin the world you will see theresults of Plimsoll’s work,which led him to be called“the Sailor’s Friend.” On thehull of every cargo ship youwill see the Plimsoll line,indicating the maximumdepth to which a ship can be safely and legally loaded.

Life would be a lot easier if there were a Plimsoll markfor people. Navigating liferequires safeguards. So let’slook at some importantbiblical insights into loadlimits. We will not arrivesafely at our destinationunless we understand

God’s Plimsoll line.At the peak of the

dot-com craze in 1999, Fast Company magazineaddressed, in secular terms,the issue of load limits:

The hot button today is a question that hangs in the air in corporateboardrooms and at cocktailparties, in IPO road showsand at the kitchen table:How much is enough?

How much money—to compensate you foryour work? How muchtime—to devote to yourfamily? How much publicglory—to satisfy your ego?How much opportunity for private reflection—to deepen yourunderstanding? How much stuff is enough foryou? And, no matter howmuch stuff you have, howdo you find—and define—satisfaction? (July/August,1999, p.110).Those are probing

questions, especially for a 3



Christ-follower concernedabout living by kingdomvalues. In a society that is built on chronic andcompulsive consumerism,how do we set load limits?Twice we are told in the NewTestament that greed, orcovetousness, is idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5). Theissues of contentment andcovetousness are among themost pressing we confront as we seek to navigate ourculture. Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 6:3-16 have special relevance:

If anyone teaches falsedoctrines and does not agreeto the sound instruction ofour Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he isconceited and understandsnothing. He has anunhealthy interest incontroversies and quarrelsabout words that result inenvy, strife, malicious talk,evil suspicions and constantfriction between men ofcorrupt mind, who have

been robbed of the truth andwho think that godliness isa means to financial gain.But godliness withcontentment is great gain.For we brought nothing intothe world, and we can takenothing out of it. But if wehave food and clothing, wewill be content with that.People who want to get richfall into temptation and atrap and into many foolishand harmful desires thatplunge men into ruin anddestruction. For the love ofmoney is a root of all kindsof evil. Some people, eagerfor money, have wanderedfrom the faith and piercedthemselves with many griefs.But you, man of God, fleefrom all this, and pursuerighteousness, godliness,faith, love, endurance, andgentleness. Fight the goodfight of the faith. Take holdof the eternal life to whichyou were called when youmade your good confessionin the presence of many

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witnesses. In the sight ofGod, who gives life toeverything, and of ChristJesus, who while testifyingbefore Pontius Pilate madethe good confession, Icharge you to keep thiscommand without spot orblame until the appearing ofour Lord Jesus Christ, whichGod will bring about in Hisown time—God, the blessedand only Ruler, the King ofkings and Lord of lords,who alone is immortal and who lives inunapproachable light,whom no one has seen orcan see. To Him be honorand might forever. Amen.The story is told of a

young girl whose father was a chronic complainer. Oneevening, at the dinner table,she proudly announced, “Iknow what everyone in ourfamily likes!” She didn’t needany coaxing to reveal herinformation: “Johnny likeshamburgers; Janie loves icecream; Jimmy loves pizza; and

Mommy likes chicken.” Herfather waited for his turn, butthere was no informationforthcoming. “Well, whatabout me!” he asked. “Whatdoes Daddy like?” With theinnocence and painful insightof a child, the little oneanswered: “Daddy, you likeeverything we haven’t got!”

One observer describesours as “a society ofinextinguishable discontent.”We have been trained by thehidden persuaders in oursociety that we need toacquire, consume, upgrade,and enlarge. In such acontext, the concept of“enough” is rare. No one isadvertising the virtues ofcontentment. But the HolySpirit uses just that word toput His finger on one of themost significant and sensitiveissues in our lives.

In the Timothy passage,three ideas point us to theneed for a Plimsoll line in our lives if we hope tonavigate a materialistic

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culture successfully. Thoseideas revolve around the words covetousness,contentment, and character.

We Must Sensitize Ourselves To The Dangers OfCovetousness. Pastors are often in the position ofhearing people disclose thedarkest secrets of their lives.Over the years, they come to believe that they’ve heardalmost every sin confessed. So I was taken aback when I read that the great 19th-century preacher CharlesSpurgeon had oncecommented that he had heard virtually every sinconfessed, except the sin ofcovetousness. I realized thatmy experience more than ahundred years later was the same. I have never hadanyone confess covetousness,even though there have beentimes when it was a prettyobvious diagnosis. I alsorealize, in my more honestmoments, that I struggle with

covetousness myself, with wanting what otherspossess that I do not. Moneyis not the only focus ofcovetousness, but in ourculture it is a primary one.

Paul wanted us torecognize that the issue is notmoney but the love of money.In 1 Timothy 6:9, he said thatit is those who are eager to get rich who are in spiritualdanger. Paul’s precise wordswere: “people who want to getrich”; that is, those who haveset their hearts on wealth. It istempting to see covetousnessas someone else’s problem,especially those who havemore money than I do. But we know that “wanting to getrich” is not exclusive to thewell-to-do. In fact, often thosewithout money are consumedwith a desire to acquire it.That is why we need to readPaul’s words carefully. Theydo not apply only to those inthe higher tax brackets. FirstTimothy 6:10 is one of thoseverses that people often

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misquote and distort. We hearit said that the Bible teachesthat “money is the root of allevil.” Wealth is not without itsdangers, but what Paul saidindicates that the problem isnot money but the “love ofmoney,” an affection that canovertake rich and poor alike.

It is important to maintainthe balance of Scripture.Wealthy people are to usetheir wealth and to enjoy itresponsibly, but they are notto love it. Some of the heroesof faith in the Bible werepeople of great wealth,believers such as Job,Abraham, David, andNehemiah. Others enjoyedpositions of prominence andprosperity, such as Joseph and Daniel. None of thesemen were condemned forwhat they possessed, and they did not live for theirpossessions. Abraham wasable to handle wealth; hisnephew Lot was seduced byit, making foolish and evilchoices. The issue is not

net worth but heart values.The issue of covetousness

is a pressing one in ouraffluent culture. As I write,there is concern that we aresliding into recession after adecade of phenomenalexpansion in the economy.Whatever direction theeconomy goes, the fact is thatwe are a people who measuresuccess in terms of affluenceand material success. Theinstant profits made duringthe heyday of the dot-comcraze, the jaw-droppingcontracts signed by athletes,and the drumbeat of emphasison what the Dow or NASDAQhas done today seduce us intomeasuring our personal valueby our bottom line. Butenough is never enough.Athletes who signed headline-making contracts threaten tohold out 2 years later becausethey are underpaid andunappreciated. The ancientwriter of Ecclesiastes said it thousands of years ago:“Whoever loves money never

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has money enough; whoeverloves wealth is never satisfiedwith his income. . . . As goodsincrease, so do those whoconsume them” (Eccl. 5:10-11).

In the edition of FastCompany mentioned earlier,the editors reflected on theresults of a survey they hadtaken among their highlysuccessful readership:

Sooner or later, it all comesdown to money. For mostrespondents, moneymatters most. Money, themajority of them reported,is the most powerful factorin their success, in theirsatisfaction, and in theirability to determine thestructure and substance of their lives.

If money is soimportant, how much more of it would peopleneed in order to stopworrying? . . . The ultimateanswer appears to be thatthere is no such thing as“enough.” The more

people have, the more they want.

We also asked peopleto designate various goodsand services as a marker of success or a sign ofexcess—and a similarpattern emerged. The moremoney people made, themore likely they were toview expensive cars, bighouses, and dinners atfancy restaurants as theirjust desserts. . . .

We want to have it all: More money and more time. More successand a more satisfyingfamily life. More creaturecomforts—and more sanity (pp. 114,116).In some ways it seems

strange to read those wordsnow, on this side of thecollapse of many technologycompanies and the decline instock values. Many peoplewho seemed wealthy beyondimagining because of the valueof their stock options foundthemselves in quite different

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financial circumstances lessthan 18 months later. Pauldescribed the uncertainty ofwealth in 1 Timothy 6:17, butfor the present his concernwas with the corrupting effectsof the love of wealth. It is true, as the editors of Fast Companyrecognize, that enough isnever enough. But what theeditors fail to do is to give the disease its proper name: covetousness. Thefundamental law is that asacquisitions increase, so doaspirations. The Greek wordtranslated “covetousness”means “a desire to havemore.” In the view of the Lord Jesus and the apostles,this is not merely a tendencyto avoid in a capitalistic,consumer society. It is, intruth, a deadly enemy of the soul that tempts us toignore the Plimsoll line anddangerously overload ourlives.

The love of money hascorrupting power in at leastfour ways.

1. Covetousness corruptsour view of God’s truth.Throughout 1 Timothy, Paulwas engaged in conflict withfalse teachers. In 1 Timothy6:3-5, he described them forthe final time in this letter. His point was straightforward:defective theology producesdefective lifestyles. But behindthe false message of theseteachers was a false motive:they “think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”This seems to mean that they pretend to be godly and spiritual so that they candeceive others to pay for theirfalse teaching. Behind theirfaçade of learning andspiritual insight is a corruptdesire to make money.

2. Covetousnesscontaminates our values.“People who want to get richfall into temptation and a trapand into many foolish andharmful desires” (1 Tim. 6:9). All of us encountertemptations. But Paulsuggests that there are special

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temptations for people whohave their hearts set onbecoming wealthy. There is a fascinating play on wordsembedded here in the originallanguage. The Greek word for“financial gain,” or profit,used in 1 Timothy 6:5 isporismos. The Greek word for“temptation” is peirasmos.Paul’s opponents imaginedthat “godliness is a means toprofit (porismos).” But theircovetousness meant that theirpursuit of profit had becomean encounter with temptation(peirasmos). It isn’t hard torecognize what Paul had in mind. A desire to get apromotion or a contractpressures me to ignore myfamily. An opportunity toogood to miss entices me tocompromise my integrity. Thedesire to ingratiate myself withthose who can further mycareer lures me to fudge myconvictions and to imitatetheir lifestyle. The possibilityof having a few more dollarsseduces me to distort my

expense account or my taxform. “An obsession withacquiring wealth is a self-feeding fire. It consumes notonly time and energy, but alsovalues. . . . Wealth leadspeople into circles where therules are different, the peerpressure is tremendous, and the values are totallydistorted” (Philip Towner, 1-2 Timothy & Titus, p.139).The desire for wealth breedsother desires and causesthings to spiral downward.

3. Covetousness capsizesour lives. When Paul wroteof “desires that plunge meninto ruin and destruction” (1 Tim. 6:9), he used languageborrowed from the world ofsailing. The only other timethe word plunge is used in theBible is in Luke 5:7. As Peterand his helpers attempted topull in the miraculous catch offish, they “filled both boats sofull that they began to sink[plunge].” Just as SamuelPlimsoll recognized the needfor a load line on a ship to

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prevent it from beingoverloaded, we need a“covetousness line” to avoidexposing our lives to “ruinand destruction.” In the mostdirect sense, because wecannot love or serve both Godand money (Lk. 16:13), thosewho love money do not knowChrist and are destined forutter destruction. There isalso, however, an applicationfor the Christ-follower. Theword ruin in biblical usage“implies the loss of all thatmakes life worthwhile”(Moulton & Milligan, TheVocabulary Of The Greek NewTestament, p.445). WarrenWiersbe puts it well:

Money is the “god of thisworld,” and it empowersmillions of people to enjoylife by living on substitutes.With money they can buyentertainment, but theycan’t buy joy. They can go to the drugstore andbuy sleep, but they can’tbuy peace. Their moneywill attract a lot of

acquaintances, but veryfew real friends. Wealthgains them admiration and envy, but not love. Itbuys the best of medicalservices, but it can’t buyhealth. Yes, it is good tohave the things that moneycan buy, provided we don’tlose the things that moneycan’t buy (On Being AServant Of God, p.142).4. Covetousness chokes

out faith. “Some people,eager for money, havewandered from the faith andpierced themselves with manygriefs” (1 Tim. 6:10). The LordJesus saw greed as a deadlyenemy to the soul, and Hiswarning was direct: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; aperson’s life does not consistin the abundance of hispossessions” (Lk. 12:15). Lifeis not about possessions. Godalone is the source of life; Godalone is in control of life; Godalone gives life. Trust inmoney cannot coexist with

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living faith in God.Navigating life safely

in a world of chronic andcompulsive consumerismrequires that we develop clear load limits. Materialismrepresents a hazard every bitas dangerous as the Labradoriceberg fields were to theTitanic. It is easy, withhindsight, to see thefoolishness of the captain and the owners of that greatship, steaming at full speedthrough those dangerouswaters. Icebergs are beautifulto admire but dangerous toencounter. They demand thatwe proceed with caution. Sodoes materialism. When aculture of consumerism and a heart of covetousnessconverge, disaster is waiting.But Scripture never simplycalls us to avoid a negative. It challenges us to pursue a positive.

We Must Cultivate A HeartOf Contentment. Theantidote to covetousness is

contentment, a quality that is an indispensable part oftrue spirituality. Paul’s wordsare striking: “Godliness withcontentment is great gain.” I doubt that Paul wassuggesting that there is such a thing as genuine godlinesswithout contentment. Isuspect that he was sayingthat mature godliness alwayshas contentment as aninseparable component.

“Godliness” was a favoriteterm of the apostle Paul in thebook of 1 Timothy. He used it eight times (four in thispassage) to describe what we might call “authenticspirituality.” He took a term much used by hiscontemporaries to describetheir pagan concept of pietyand given it a distinctivelyChristian meaning. The termdescribes an inner attitude ofreverence and respect that isexpressed in outward acts.Authentic godliness beginswith “the fear of the Lord,”reverential awe in His

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presence, which produces not only acts of worship but also a lifestyle that isconsistent with the characterand requirements of the Godwe love and serve. It is a God-centered life, a passionfor God that translates intoworship and appropriateconduct. For Paul, this qualitywas what it meant to be aChrist-follower. As he hadalready written in 1 Timothy4:7-8: “Train yourself to begodly. For . . . godliness hasvalue for all things, holdingpromise for both the presentlife and the life to come.”

True godliness alwaystravels with “contentment.”For the Greek and Romanphilosophers, this was asignificant word, one thatdescribed an attitude of self-sufficiency, the ability to relyon one’s resources and not on others. For the Stoicphilosophers, the ideal manwas an independent man, inneed of nothing and no oneelse. In Paul’s view, however,

contentment took a differentmeaning. As he wrote to the Philippians from a prisoncell, “I have learned to becontent whatever thecircumstances. . . . I havelearned the secret of beingcontent in any and everysituation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living inplenty or in want. I can doeverything through Him whogives me strength” (Phil. 4:11-13). Contentment, then, is not about self-sufficiency butChrist-sufficiency. It is notresignation but satisfaction. It is not acceptance of thestatus quo or surrender ofambition but submission toChrist and His purposes.Godly contentment isn’t aboutcomplacency or passivity oran otherworldly detachmentfrom life. Rather, as G. K.Chesterton says, “It is theability to get out of a situationeverything that is in it.” It is adeep-seated satisfaction thatis the gift of Christ.

It has been extremely 13



helpful for me to distinguishbetween what someone has called “the contentment of aspiration” and “thecontentment of acquisition.”Aspiration is about who Iam—my character, myrelationships, my values.Acquisition is about what Ipossess. Godliness involveschoosing satisfaction withacquisition and dissatisfactionwith aspiration. It involvescontentment with what I have but discontent withwho I am. I want to becomewiser, deeper, more loving,more Christlike.

Contentment is also the product of an eternal,kingdom perspective. That iswhere Paul directs our focusin 1 Timothy 6:7: “For webrought nothing into theworld, and we can takenothing out of it.” Thisstatement is obvious buteasily forgotten. Things seemso real, and eternity seems sounreal. But faith tells us thatthe opposite is the truth. “So

we fix our eyes not on what isseen, but on what is unseen.For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”(2 Cor. 4:18). Present thingshave no lasting value. Theyare ours to enjoy but not tokeep. Life in this world is a lot like a Monopoly game. No matter how much youacquire, in the end it all goesback in the box.

John Piper invites us toimagine a visitor to an artgallery who begins to takepictures off the walls and carrythem under his arm towardthe exit. You watch for a whileand then ask, “What are youdoing?” “I’m becoming an artcollector,” he responds. “Butthey’re not really yours, andthey won’t let you take themout of here. You can enjoythem, but you can’t keepthem!” “Sure, they’re mine.I’ve got them under my arm!And I’ll worry about how toget them out of here when thetime comes” (adapted fromDesiring God, p.156).

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We would have nodifficulty in seeing thefoolishness of that kind ofbehavior. Yet we often viewour material possessions,which are entrusted to us by God, in the same way. We view money and thingsproperly only when werecognize that they have no lasting value.

Paul also wants us torecognize that life’s greatestvalues transcend money. “Ifwe have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Tim. 6:8). Those of us wholive in the Western world haveso much more than the basicnecessities of life that it is verydifficult to think only of foodand clothing. Our list of“essentials” is much longer.But at various times in othercountries, I have met Christ-followers who had little morephysically than meagersupplies of food and clothing,yet I have felt humbled bytheir authentic joy in Christ.Food and clothing are

important, but they are notthe stuff of life. So the Lordsaid, “I tell you, do not worryabout your life, what you willeat or drink; or about yourbody, what you will wear. Isnot life more important thanfood, and the body moreimportant than clothes?” (Mt. 6:25).

We accumulate moneyand possessions because theyprovide a feeling of securityagainst the uncertainties ofthe future. But even at theirbest, riches are unreliable.They give no real assurance in the present world andabsolutely none for the eternalworld. That is why Goddescribes as a fool the richman who imagined that hehad “plenty of good thingslaid up for many years,” onlyto have God call the loan onhis life. He not only doesn’tcontrol his wealth; he doesn’tcontrol his life. His moneycould not shelter him from thecertainty of death, from hisaccountability to a sovereign

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God, or from the loss of allthat he had accumulated. TheLord’s verdict is, “This is howit will be with anyone whostores up things for himselfbut is not rich toward God”(Lk. 12:21). Our greatestsecurity comes not from thepower of our wealth but fromthe certain promise of ourGod. “Your heavenly Fatherknows that you need [foodand clothing]. But seek firstHis kingdom and Hisrighteousness, and all thesethings will be given to you aswell” (Mt. 6:32-33).

Someone shrewdlyobserved that we fear death inproportion to what we have tolose. If we store up treasurefor ourselves on earth, westand to lose everything. The Lord’s counsel is, “Storeup for yourselves treasures inheaven, where moth and rustdo not destroy, and wherethieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heartwill be also” (Mt. 6:20-21).

Contentment is the product ofsecurity in God, the product oftrust in His character and Hispromises.

We Must Focus On The Centrality Of Character. Havingdirected Timothy away fromcovetousness and towardcontentment, Paul thendirected him to his primeconsideration. The falseteachers might be absorbedwith the pursuit of wealth, but Paul wanted Timothy (and us) to be engaged in the pursuit of godly character.The materialists plaguing thecongregation in Ephesus had a model of success, theperson who single-mindedlypursued the goal of presentfinancial wealth. “But you,man of God, flee from all this”(1 Tim. 6:11a). Money is agreat resource but a terriblyinadequate goal. In fact, it isan extremely dangerous goal.So dangerous that we arecalled to flee the desire to getrich, to flee the love of money.

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This sounds strange in asociety that has sanctified thepursuit of wealth and in aChristian community thatoften sounds more capitalistthan Christian. The seductionof “prosperity theology”attempts to sanctify what God has called us to flee, a consumerist, materialisticphilosophy of life. I find this a lot easier to preach than topractice.

We are not merely to flee, however. The call of theChrist-follower is to do justthat, to follow the Lord.“Pursue righteousness,godliness, faith, love,endurance, and gentleness”(v.11b). Notice here that weare to replace the pursuit ofthings with the pursuit ofcharacter. Pursue is asignificant word. It reminds usthat character is forged overtime, not found in an instant.While there may be instantwealth, there is never instantcharacter. The word alsoreminds us that while these

qualities may be the product of God’s work in our lives, we also play acritical part. Character mustbe developed and pursuedwith vigorous energy. Pursuealso reminds us that this isintentional activity, pursued inthe daily experiences of life.

We are not just to flee andto follow. We are also to “fightthe good fight of the faith”(v.12). For while the Christianlife is always personal, it isnever private. A Christ-follower is called to promotethe cause of the kingdom ofChrist and of the glory ofChrist in the world. Acovetous life is a selfish life. A kingdom life is a sacrificiallife. In a time of warfare, we view financial resourcesdifferently. So a third phraseneeds to be added to the waya Christian views money. Wereject covetousness. Wecultivate contentment. Andwe practice commitment inthe use of our resources tofurther the cause of Christ

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in the world. Giving is the way we flee covetousness,because generosity builds our immunity against greed.Giving is the way we developcontentment, as we make adeliberate choice to employour resources for others, notjust for ourselves. And givingis the way we demonstrateand develop commitment inthe fight of faith.

Our concern in this section has been to thinkabout load limits, about the Plimsoll line we need todraw in our lives to preventdangerous overloading with things. Here are foursuggestions to help us focusour thinking about personalload limits.

1. Develop a lifestyle of limits, not luxury. Gocountercultural. Underbuy or do without. As an act of self-discipline and as a means to loosen the hold of covetousness, choose to do with less than you can afford.

2. Cultivate generosity,not greed. Compassion andgenerosity are the drainplugsfor covetousness. Give morethan you think you can to acause the Lord has laid onyour heart. Take a kingdomrisk!

3. Emphasize personalworth rather than networth. Determine to spendmore time thinking andworking on your futurecharacter than on yourfinancial future. If yourfinancial retirement plan is in place, what about yourcharacter retirement plan?You are determining yourfuture financial assets now.The same is true of yourfuture character assets. Whatkind of an older person areyou choosing to be?

4. Invest in the eternal,not just the temporal. Prayfor a kingdom project that will capture your passion,challenge your giftedness, and inspire the investment of your treasure.

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MONEY MATTERS

IIn the 21st century, we are sailing into a brand-new world, startlingly

unlike anything we have everencountered. We need tolearn new navigational skills.If we are to chart our course,we also need to re-engineerour lives so that we cansurvive rapidly changingconditions.

The development of thePlimsoll line in the 1870sgreatly enhanced the safety ofcargo and crew by indicatingthe maximum depth to whicha ship could be legally loaded.Sailors also recognized theneed to stabilize their ships, to counteract the tendency to pitch and roll, especially in heavy seas. The technologyto do that came into existencewith the gyroscope, aninstrument familiar in its most simple form in a child’stoy, the top.

In 1852, a French scientistnamed Leon Foucault

discovered the principle andinvented the first gyroscope. Itremained a scientific toy until1911, when an Americanscientist named Elmer Sperrypatented the gyrocompass, aninstrument that has proved tobe of great importance in avariety of great navigationalapplications, not the least ofwhich are automatic pilotsand guidance systems inships, aircraft, missiles, andspacecraft. His company also developed massivegyrostabilizers that were usedin ships to counteract therolling motion of the ship in the ocean. In more recent technology, smallergyroscopes have been used inconnection with stabilizer finsto reduce roll and thereforeincrease safety and comfort.

If we are going to navigatethe changing, tumultuousocean of modern lifesuccessfully, we need astabilizer, and I want tosuggest to you that generosityis intended by God to serve as

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a personal gyroscope in thepitch and roll of modernmaterialism. In the verses thatfollow those we have beenlooking at in 1 Timothy 6,which warn against thedanger of the love of money,Paul addressed those withmoney and gave them somedirect instructions that provide relevant navigationalsafeguards for us as well.

Command those who arerich in this present worldnot to be arrogant nor toput their hope in wealth,which is so uncertain, butto put their hope in God,who richly provides us with everything for ourenjoyment. Command themto do good, to be rich ingood deeds, and to begenerous and willing toshare. In this way they will lay up treasure forthemselves as a firmfoundation for the comingage, so that they may takehold of the life that is trulylife (1 Tim. 6:17-19).

Several years ago, theinfamous shock-jock radiohost, Howard Stern,announced that he wasconsidering running forgovernor of New York State.However, as the deadlinedrew near for formalizing hiscandidacy, he withdrew,announcing that the financialdisclosure statements hewould have to file were “toopersonal.” This from a manwho made his reputation byprobing and disclosing themost intimate, and oftensordid, details of his and hisguests’ sex lives!

It may be that the lasttaboo of the 21st century ispersonal finances. We becomeprotective, even as Christians,about our money, even as we practice conspicuousconsumption. It is bad taste toask anyone too directly abouthis or her finances. If a pastorspeaks about money matters,he will arouse more negativefeeling than by addressingalmost any other subject.

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I am not suggesting thatthis reticence is always wrong.I don’t feel any need to satisfythe curiosity of nosy peopleabout my financial status.And churches can beabsorbed with money anddistort biblical truth for less-than-holy purposes. At thesame time, I am troubled bythe often major disconnectbetween faith and money.Money matters. Mycheckbook, my credit-cardstatements, and my savingsaccount reveal my deepestbeliefs, values, and priorities.That is why God’s Wordaddresses the issue so oftenand why Paul returned to thesubject at the end of his firstletter to Timothy.

In 1 Timothy 6:3-16, his concerns have beencaptured by the wordscovetousness (“flee it”),contentment (“cultivate it”),and character (“major on it”).Now in verses 17-19, hespeaks directly to the issue of generosity.

Money Is A ParadoxAnd Must Be HandledWith Care. Paul alreadywarned against the passionatepursuit of money and wealth,a warning we stand in need ofin our consumerist world. Butmoney is also a tool that canbe used for the glory of God.Some view wealth asintrinsically evil, somethingChristians must reject andavoid. This is not the biblicalviewpoint. Scripture is neitherascetic, rejecting all materialthings, nor is it naïve aboutthe dangers posed by money.Money is a provision of God,to be enjoyed by those towhom He entrusts it.

Paul’s message wasaddressed to “those who are rich in this present world.”The temptation is immediatelyto disqualify ourselves and imagine that Paul wasaddressing only the elite few,the upper 10 percent of oursociety. Obviously the wordsapply to them, but it is far too easy to adopt a narrow

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perspective and to lose sightof how enormously blessedwe are.

Ted Turner isn’t usually asource of true wisdom, but ina commencement address atEmerson College on May 15,2000, he did convey animportant fact:

It’s all relative. . . . I sitdown and say, I’ve only got$10 billion, but Bill Gateshas $100 billion; I feel likeI’m a complete failure inlife. So billions won’t makeyou happy if you’re worriedabout someone who’s gotmore than you. . . . Sodon’t let yourself get caughtin the trap of measuringyour success by how muchmaterial success you have(People, June 12, 2000,p.62).The issue goes beyond

our definition of success.Western Christians take forgranted a standard of livingthat is the envy of the world.A staggering 1.3 billion peopleearn less than one dollar a

day. One hundred millionchildren around the world arehomeless, and many more livein accommodations worsethan we provide for our petsand animals. Famine anddisease are a deadly, dailyreality to multitudes.

However, God’s call is not for the rich to feel guiltyabout their wealth or to divestthemselves of it. The patternof Acts 2, where the earlyChristians sold “theirpossessions and goods, and . . . gave to anyone as hehad need” (Acts 2:45), is astirring example of Christianlove but not a rigid pattern.Wealth may be a divineblessing, often given indirectlyby our birth in a prosperousnation, or through our innateskills and abilities, or becauseof the unique opportunities asovereign God has set beforeus. Only the most self-deceived or arrogant fail torecognize how much of theircurrent blessing is due tofactors beyond their control.

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Wealth, however, is not anabsolute right. I am not free todo with my money whatever Idesire.

The laws of the OldTestament make it clear thatthe Lord does not sanction theuncontrolled accumulation of wealth at the expense ofothers. God makes a directclaim on our money throughtithes and offerings, and Hislaws relativize the rights ofprivate property, including the ownership and use ofland, and the lending ofmoney in exploitative ways. The Prophets are full of condemnations of therich, of a class system thatmanipulates and exploits, and of business practices that plunder and oppress. Youcannot read Amos, Isaiah, orJoel without recognizing thatmany practices in our currentmarket system fall far short of God’s standards for a justand merciful society. Oureconomic system may be thebest ever devised by selfish

and sinful human beings, butit is deeply tainted by ourdepravity. We must not beblind to this and uncriticallyaccept the status quo becausewe are comfortable.

That said, it remains truethat money is to be enjoyed,because God “richly providesus with everything for ourenjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17).Earlier in his letter, Paulconfronted the asceticworldview, which rejectedmarriage and the enjoymentof certain foods. “EverythingGod created is good,” hewrote, “and nothing is to berejected if it is received withthanksgiving, because it isconsecrated by the Word ofGod and prayer” (4:4-5). In the context of all that God’s Word teaches, thiscannot be said to sanction a self-indulgent, excessiveenjoyment of our possessions.After all, 1 Timothy 5:6 tellsus that the person “who lives for pleasure is dead evenwhile she lives.” But God does

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provide us everything “forenjoyment,” a word approvingpleasure in God’s graciousprovision. Or, as the writer of Ecclesiastes expressed it:

Then I realized that it isgood and proper for a manto eat and drink, and tofind satisfaction in histoilsome labor under thesun during the few days oflife God has given him—forthis is his lot. Moreover,when God gives any manwealth and possessions,and enables him to enjoythem, to accept his lot andbe happy in his work—thisis a gift of God (5:18-19).The enjoyment of our

material blessings withoutcovetousness and withcontentment is one side of the biblical equation. The other side is no lesssignificant. Money canbecome a substitute for Godand must be kept in its place.

“Command those who arerich . . . not to be arrogant norto put their hope in wealth,

which is so uncertain” (1 Tim.6:17). The danger is that weuse money as a scorecard ofour success in life and becomeproud of our achievementsand arrogant and scornfultoward those who have notdone as well financially. Alltoo easily we imagine that weare the authors of our success,and we give ourselves fullcredit. Others foster the feelingbecause of the way the well-to-do are treated. Money gives power, privilege, andopportunity, and we begin tofeel entitled, as if we are ofgreater worth and value thanlesser folks, who do notpossess as much.

A second danger is that we set our hope on what wepossess. It becomes oursecurity against an uncertainfuture, our shelter against the uncertain storms of life.Ironically, we put the phrase“In God we trust” on ourmoney, but “In money I trust”is written on the secret placesof our heart.

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But money has itslimitations. Trusting money is foolish, because at best it isuncertain. We all know theways in which this can betrue: a stock marketdownturn, a real estatecollapse, superinflation, a dishonest manager, an unexpected job loss, a traumatic illness that wipesout our savings. An article inthe morning paper tells thestory of people in high-techjobs who only a year ago were giving very expensiveChristmas gifts because theywere rich in stock options.This year they are scroungingfor company giveaways tosend as gifts, and the value oftheir stocks has collapsed withtheir companies. Many areout of work.

An article in the Wall Street Journal chroniclesthe changing fortunes of

“centimillionaires,” peoplewho at the top of thetechnology boom found theircompanies’ initial public

offerings skyrocketing in valuein 1999. Overnight they hadnet worths in the hundreds ofmillions of dollars, and theyspent accordingly. Then, asthe NASDAQ plummeted,things changed quickly. Asone “ex-centimillionaire,”whose stock fell 96.8 percentin a few months, said, “Goingup was easy. But when itstarts to go down, no onewants to talk to you. It’s beenthe most challenging personalexperience of my life” (“Ex-centimillionaires See StakesPlunge,” 10/20/00).

Wise King Solomon wrote:Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.Cast but a glance at riches,and they are gone, for theywill surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle (Prov. 23:4-5).Trusting money is also

faithless. The American dreamhas great power. It has madethe United States the envy ofthe world, not only for the

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standard of living we enjoybut also for the possibilities it gives to every citizen. Butthere is a down side. Thepursuit of more is endless. Webelieve that if we try harder, ifwe do more, we will not onlyachieve the dream but also fillour souls. We not only needto have it all; we need to haveit now. We not only need tohave more; we need to havebetter. And credit makes it soeasy that there seems to be noreason not to have what wewant when we want it. Moneyand things are the way to thegood life.

The Word of God teachesotherwise. Paul told us to put our hope in God (6:17),recognizing that money is a tempting but terriblyinadequate substitute. Jobalso felt the power of this:

If I have put my trust ingold or said to pure gold,“You are my security,” if Ihave rejoiced over my greatwealth, the fortune myhands had gained, if I have

regarded the sun in itsradiance or the moonmoving in splendor, so that my heart was secretlyenticed and my handoffered them a kiss ofhomage, then these alsowould be sins to be judged,for I would have beenunfaithful to God on high (Job 31:24-28).Because of human nature,

money becomes a paradox,capable of doing great good ordoing great harm. Therefore,Paul insisted, we must use itwith care. The first and mostimportant step is to guard ourhearts and to make sure thatwe are trusting God, not ourmoney. In 1 Timothy 6:18, hestretches our thinking onestep further.

Money Gives ThePotential To Make ADifference, Not Just ToMake A Living. Christ-followers are to imitate theirLord in developing a lifestyleof good works: “Commandthem to do good, to be rich

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in good deeds.” The God who provides for us richlyexpects us to respond richlyby practicing good works. Noone insists more strongly inScripture that we are notmade right with God by goodworks but by God’s free grace.At the same time, no one ismore emphatic that God’speople will demonstrate thereality of their new life bygood works empowered by the Holy Spirit. The emphasisof the New Testament isconsistent:

Let your light shine beforemen, that they may see your good deeds and praiseyour Father in heaven (Mt. 5:16).

For we are God’sworkmanship, created inChrist Jesus to do goodworks, which God preparedin advance for us to do(Eph. 2:10).

. . . our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all

wickedness and to purify for Himself a people thatare His very own, eager to do what is good (Ti. 2:13-14).

I want you to stressthese things, so that thosewho have trusted in Godmay be careful to devotethemselves to doing what is good (Ti. 3:8).

Our people must learn to devote themselves todoing what is good, in orderthat they may provide fordaily necessities and notlive unproductive lives (Ti. 3:14).

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and gooddeeds (Heb. 10:24).

Through Jesus, therefore,let us continually offer toGod a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confessHis name. And do notforget to do good and toshare with others, for withsuch sacrifices God ispleased (Heb. 13:15-16).

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Live such good livesamong the pagans that,though they accuse you ofdoing wrong, they may seeyour good deeds and glorifyGod on the day He visits us(1 Pet. 2:12).Paul did not specify what

these good deeds are. Clearlyhe had in mind acts of caringand compassion, which meetthe needs of people. And it issignificant that he mentionedgood deeds before he spoke ofgenerosity. Those with moneyoften find it easier to give cashthan time, but the Lord willnot allow those with money tothink they have this option.They are not only to do goodworks; they are to be rich inthem.

Christ-followers are also to develop a lifestyle ofgenerosity: “Command them . . . to be generous and willingto share.” The two Greekwords that are translated“generous” and “willing toshare” are virtually the sameand serve to reinforce the idea

of financial generosity. TheNew Testament makes nomention of tithing as theChristian standard. It was a clear law under the OldCovenant, but the NewCovenant, instead, points usto God’s grace as our pattern.Generosity is the NewTestament standard of giving.

Freely you have received,freely give (Mt. 10:8).

In everything I did, I showed you that by thiskind of hard work we musthelp the weak, rememberingthe words the Lord JesusHimself said: “It is moreblessed to give than toreceive” (Acts 20:35).

Remember this: Whoeversows sparingly will alsoreap sparingly, and whoeversows generously will alsoreap generously. Each manshould give what he hasdecided in his heart to give,not reluctantly or undercompulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace

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abound to you, so that in all things at all times,having all that you need,you will abound in everygood work (2 Cor. 9:6-8).Generous giving is

proportional giving, notmerely percentage giving.While tithing may provide auseful guideline, it falls shortof generosity for those whohave been richly blessed by God. As Fred Smithcomments, “I firmly believethat tithing for wealthy peopleis an escape from giving” (“A Holy Boldness TowardMoney,” Leadership, Spring,1981, p.49).

Generous giving is alsojoyful giving, because “Godloves a cheerful giver.” Andgenerous giving is intentionalgiving. It is not impulsive orspasmodic but thoughtful andprayerful.

Generosity serves as adrain plug for greed in ourlives. When Karl Menningerwrote a book in 1981 titledWhatever Became Of Sin?

he received a letter from theauthor of a book on money,expressing his appreciation for Menninger’s chapter on avarice. Menningerresponded: “I think yourquestion, ‘How do we helppeople shift from greed togenerosity?’ is one of the greatmoral questions of the age. Iwould add, ‘How do we getthem to shift from vengeanceto magnanimity?’ Greed is oneof the diseases that doesn’t‘get well’; it can be incurable.People with mental diseasewho come to our MenningerClinic are likely to get well—even without professional skill applied—but greed is notthat way” (John and SylviaRonsvalle, Behind The StainedGlass Windows, p.202). Thatis a remarkable statementfrom a secular perspective.However, there is a cure forgreed, and it involves theintentional cultivation ofgenerosity.

Generosity is acommanded lifestyle for

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God’s people. We are to berichly generous because Godhas been richly generous tous. Generosity is also achosen lifestyle. It is theintentional decision of theChrist-follower to imitate hisself-giving, generous Lord.This happens because thosewho are rich in this presentworld know that they do notlive solely for this presentworld. That is why Pauldirects our attention beyondthe present age to the comingage in 1 Timothy 6:19.

Money Needs ThePerspective Of TheEternal. Generous people,Paul said, “will lay uptreasure for themselves as afirm foundation for the comingage” (6:19). Wise stewardshipaccumulates eternal reward.Giving and good works are aninvestment in eternity. TheBible consistently reminds us that our faithfulness here and now has eternalconsequences. God rewardsHis people. Our generosity not

only helps others here andnow, it provides blessing forus throughout eternity. Givingisn’t about losing wealth butabout laying up heavenlytreasure. The Lord Jesus is theone who taught us to thinkabout heavenly treasure:

Do not store up foryourselves treasures onearth, where moth and rustdestroy, and where thievesbreak in and steal. But storeup for yourselves treasuresin heaven, where moth andrust do not destroy, andwhere thieves do not breakin and steal. For where yourtreasure is, there your heartwill be also (Mt. 6:19-21).Our giving reveals whether

we are motivated primarily byeternal values or by presentvalues. D. L. Moody observed,“It doesn’t take long to tellwhere a person’s treasure is.In 15 minutes, with mostpeople, you can tell whethertheir treasures are on earth or in heaven.” The Lord’scounsel is not that we do not

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invest our money to make aprofit. Rather, He wants us tobe sure that we take the longview and are more concernedabout eternal yields thanearthly ones.

Generous people also“take hold of the life that istruly life.” Wise stewardshiptakes hold of life. We hearpeople say, “This is the goodlife. This is really living!”Often that describes a time ofspecial self-indulgence. Thereis such a thing as real life, andit refers to living life at itsfullest here and now in a waythat is consistent with God’spromises for eternity. As Paulwrote earlier in this letter,“Godliness has value for allthings, holding promise forboth the present life and thelife to come” (1 Tim. 4:8).There is a richness to lifewhen we use the abilities andresources that God has madeavailable to us to make adifference in the lives of otherpeople. And there is a hugedifference between living with

a thirst for pleasure and livingwith a sense of purpose. Therichest times in life comewhen we use our money tofurther God’s kingdom. That is real living, and its valueextends far beyond thepresent world into eternity.

In 1999, the death ofOseola McCarty receivednational attention. On onelevel this was surprising,because Miss McCarty hadlived a life of obscurity. Shehad lived all her life inHattiesburg, Mississippi,doing laundry for the well-to-do, at 50 cents a load, usingan old-fashioned washboard.

Then, at the age of 87, she stunned officials at theUniversity of SouthernMississippi by making adonation of $150,000. Wherehad she obtained that kind ofmoney? She had lived frugally,saved carefully, and investedwisely. As an elderly woman,she found herself with$150,000 and decided therewas something better to do

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with it than spend it onherself. “I had more money in the bank than I could use,” she said. “I can’t carryanything away from here withme, so I thought it best to give it to some child to get an education.” She was embarrassed by all theattention, but when asked byreporters why she had donewhat she had done, sheborrowed some familiar words:“It’s more blessed to give thanto receive—I’ve tried it.”

Generosity is a God-givengyroscope that brings stabilityto our lives. Paul draws avivid contrast between twoways of life, only one of whichis appropriate for a follower ofthe Lord Jesus Christ. Thosewho desire to get rich, whoare characterized by greed,“plunge . . . into ruin anddestruction” (1 Tim. 6:9).Their ship capsizes in the seas of materialism andconsumerism. But those who live with Christ-imitatinggenerosity “lay up treasure for

themselves as a firmfoundation for the comingage.” They not only reachtheir destination safely, theyflourish when they arrive. Thebook of Hebrews offers thesame message:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and becontent with what youhave, because God hassaid, “Never will I leaveyou; never will I forsakeyou.” So we say withconfidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not beafraid. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5-6).

hThis booklet is excerpted from True North by Gary Inrig. True Northis published by Discovery HousePublishers, a member of the RBCMinistries’ family. Gary is a graduateof Dallas Theological Seminary andcurrently pastors Trinity EvangelicalFree Church in Redlands, California.

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