1 Tim 6:6-10: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Paul was closing this first letter to Timothy trying to leave him with some final words to help this young pastor be the best he could be for the Lord. One of his final instructions was to aspire to live a simple life. In biblical times, how much clutter could one have in their life? Could someone, especially someone who was in the ministry be burdened with the busyness of life that it would drown out the most important aspects of his or her faith? Is it really a stretch of our imagination to believe that even someone in that day would be caught up in the urgent, and let the important slip by?
Paul urged Timothy to be content with a simple life that would not take time and energy to pursue things that would not fulfill him in the end. Rather he told him to focus his attention, and only pursue the things of God. If Timothy had filled his life with too much stuff that kept him from fulfilling what God had for his life then he would be living his life in vane.
We tend to fill our life with stuff that pulls us away from Jesus and His plans for us. What if God was to call you in to the mission filled? Could you pack up and be gone in a moments notice? It is more likely that we fill every minute of our day pursuing the pleasures of this world, and then we wonder why we do not have time for God. Leaving no margin in your life is pushing God farther and farther away. If we want to be Christ-followers we need to be able to give God our full attention. We cannot give God our full attention when we are focused on getting more money just so we can have more stuff. We need to make our lives simpler so that we can focus on the things that matter. God has a purpose for you and a work that only you can complete. If you are to busy and leave no margin in your life then you are not lined up with God’s plan for your life.
What is God calling you to do? That should be your focus and passion. Do not clutter up your life with a worldly pursuit, but rather pursue God’s will in your life and you will find more fulfillment in that rather then in stuff.
Tomorrows Readings:
Old Testament: Jer. 20-22 New Testament II Tim. 1
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