Morning Moments

17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

One of the great dangers of wealth is that it can adversely affect your worship. Your treasure can interfere with your trust. Having seen that our motives must be pure in verses 11-12, and that our methods must be proper as seen in verses 13-16, we now discover as Paul concludes his letter to Timothy that our Ministry must be Productive in verses 17-21. NOW HEAR THIS – Be encouraged my pastor friend for “being productive” does not mean spinning plates of wheels. It does not mean show, but substance. It does not mean you lead a circus, but CHRISTIANS. It does not mean that you as pastor are always the decision maker, but it does mean that you are always the DISCIPLE maker. Copy that Houston?

Paul says in verse 17 that Our Affections Must Be Fixed – “…trust…in the living God…”
In Colossians it is stated, “Set your affections on things above, not on things on earth…” (Col 3:2). Affections are feelings of fondness, an expression of what we want, enjoy desire. So Paul is saying that we should want what God wants, desire what God desires, and feel fondly toward those things God feels fondly toward.

We should give Him our attention, for He deserves it. We should give Him our affection, for He desires it, and we should give Him our allegiance, for He demands it. Desiring what He desires only comes as we abide in Him and His Word abides in us.

With our Affection Fixed according to verse 17, our Actions Must Be Fruitful as seen in the use of the words “distribute, willing to communicate”. Paul’s primary reference is not to those who “desire” to be rich, to those who are already rich. He says that they are to be generous and willing to share with those in need. This sharing is to be done purely and properly, and by the “prompting” of the Holy Spirit. There are those who can “talk” the gold out of Fort Knox. Personally, I make NO financial commitment to anybody I do not know personally, over the telephone. There are just too many scams. My response is, “send it in the mail and I will look at it and pray about it”.

None of us is exempt from financial loss, but losing $5,000,000 and still having $1,000,000 left over is not the kind of loss that deserves assistance from the brethren. In that case, sell your home and your car, rent an apartment and take the bus.

This is a critical time in our economy, but sometimes we have to modify our standard of living to match our means. Please think about this carefully –

1. What need do I have for a boat? NONE unless I live on an island and have to commute to work.
2. What need do I have for a beach house? NONE unless my ministry is on the coast.
3. What need do I have for a mountain cabin? NONE unless it is where my ministry is.
4. What need do I have for a golf cart? NONE unless I spend too much time on the course and too lazy to walk.
5. What need do I have for riches if I am too selfish and stingy to give proportionately and liberally.

Honest to God, I fear that we preachers have become so caught up in materialism that we have developed an “entitlement” mentality. “I deserve this” is a very dangerous mind set for any of us, but especially preachers. I have seen the ministry evolve from meagerness to materialism. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with money or material things, but if you have them it is one thing, but if they have you, it is another thing entirely.

Of course, the flip side to this would be those carnal, selfish, stingy, greedy, church members who have no clue what it is to be filled with or led by the Spirit of God who have the attitude that if God will keep the preacher humble, “we will keep him poor”. THERE IS ALWAYS A BALANCE.

I love Paul’s approach – I have asked you for nothing, but I am grateful for everything. I will teach you your responsibility, but I will only require that you love one another. THAT is how I wish to live – and die. When GOD sends the gifts, GOD gets the glory! Your support is not nearly as important as your spirituality. You can’t be spiritual without sharing, but you can share without being spiritual. There have been times in my life and ministry that my lost friends helped me more than my “saintly” friends. God GUIDES! GOD provides! End of story.

BLESSINGS!