1 Timothy 6:19 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.
Wealth management. I think too often we spend too much time on poverty management! At least that was my life for the first thirty five years of my life. So often, I was trying to find the money to pay the rent and put food on the table.
You can spend so much time concentrating on wealth that you spend no time preparing for eternity. Life is more than our bank account, or your credit card balance. And if we focus too much on our money, we lose our contentment, our satisfaction with life.
And to go through life without contentment is a poor life indeed. You miss out on all the rest of life that can be so rewarding. Relationships suffer. The work – life balance suffers. And our spiritual life gets put on the back burner in the pursuit of more money, more security, more substitute.
I say substitute because this life was never meant to be the totality of life. It is only a heartbeat, the prelude of eternity. It is the opening note in a million movement symphony, the first of many symphonies, all written by the author of creativity.
The strange thing is that this current life determines our eternity, which part we play in the symphony. Money can get in the way of that pursuit. Money brings with it temptations. Money can easily lead us astray.
But godliness will never lead us astray. It is the currency of heaven. Our godly character, an indication of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, will endure, regardless of the ups and downs of the markets. It is an investment with only an upside.
Godliness manifests itself in our lives as righteousness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. These things can be seen by others, and will attract others to the faith. Godliness is great gain.
When we are generous with our finances, then we demonstrate that we have control of our money and the money doesn’t control us. When we are willing to share, to see the needs of others and meet those needs, it demonstrates our willingness to obey God’s commands. Letting go of this world’s currency in order to gain eternity’s currency is the best exchange rate we can get.
Our text says that we are to “lay up treasure” as a “firm foundation” for then next phase of life after our death. We are responsible for laying that foundation. Our choices now make that investment. What we do with our wealth, and we are wealthy, speaks volumes about our spiritual condition.
True life is not found here. We may experience the next life in bits and pieces now as we obey the LORD. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit with us who is a deposit guaranteeing our future with Him. We can take hold of this future life now, experiencing contentment in our daily lives.
Are you content?
The Arnold Journey 