1 Timothy 6:3-10 – Godliness with Contentment

Yesterday we saw in this passage that the usual motive of a false teacher is the desire for earthly rewards such as money or renown. Paul says that such people view godliness as a means of gain. That he is speaking of false teachers who seek to enrich themselves is seen in the following verses in which Paul reminds us that we brought nothing into this world and cannot take anything with us when we leave it. He warns that the love of money has produced all manner of evil. (One such evil is the promotion of false gospels). The desire to be rich in the things of this world is a result of lack of contentment, which has led many to fall into following harmful desires, which, in turn, have led to their ruin and destruction.

By contrast, in verse 6, Paul speaks of a type of gain that godliness does bring. As one who has true saving faith in Jesus Christ grows spiritually, he will value the things of this world less and less and value the things of God and the world to come more and more. This produces contentment with whatever our situation in this life might be. This is great gain, for it relieves anxiety, keeps us focused on Christ’s Kingdom, keeps us satisfied with what we have (rather than focused on what we do not have) and builds our trust in our Sovereign Creator and Saviour God.

Questions
1. Of what has the love of money been a cause?
2. How do false teachers think of godliness?
3. In what way is there great gain in godliness?

Prayer Points
1. Pray for godly contentment.
2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
3. Pray for family matters.