Prepared Hearts for September 29th

Hello Friends,

Welcome back to Prepared Hearts, the online Bible study of the Wacousta Community United Methodist Church. The lectionary texts this week include: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15, Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, and Luke 16:19-31. I’ll be preaching from Timothy this Sunday. The text is below, followed by starter thoughts.

1 TIMOTHY 6:6-19

6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

STARTER THOUGHTS

Verse 6 starts with the admonition that real gain is to be found in godliness with “autarkeia,” a phrase that gets translated as “contentment.” This phrase also implied self-sufficiency and extoled the virtue of a simple life in which one accepts the hand they’ve been dealt in life. I’m guessing we all know people who never quite seem content and others who seem to manage whatever comes there way. This teaching doesn’t really account for the harsh reality that some folks are dealt a much harder hand than others. Recent studies in brain development and trauma have also revealed that there are certain genetic markers that contribute to how one responds to trauma. In other words, some of us are genetically predisposed to handling trauma and stress better than others. For these reasons and others, I have a hard time preaching “contentment,” because I fear that it forces folks to “put on a happy face,” when deep inside they are really hurting or upset.

What does contentment mean for you? Would you consider yourself (generally) content or discontent? What are the greatest factors that contribute to your contentment or lack thereof? Have there been times you felt you had to “act” content or felt guilty because you didn’t feel contentment?

The author warns against setting wealth as one’s life goal. He goes on to write an often misquoted piece of scripture in verse 10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” Usually just the first part of this verse gets quoted. I think the remainder of it (as well as an accurate translation) helps to clarify that this doesn’t read that money is the root of all evil, but that the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. He goes on to explain that he believes this to be true because chasing after wealth only ends up hurting us in the end.

If we aren’t careful, the church can really come across as having a double standard when it comes to money. After all, the church wouldn’t have survived to this day had it not been for the generous gifts and tithing of those who had the means to do so. What is the difference for you between having money and using it wisely (taking care of your family, sharing and giving generously) and chasing after money? Is it a pretty clear distinction for you or does the line get blurry now and then?

This text follows up nicely on last week’s lesson about serving God and not money. In this letter, the writer gives instruction on what folks who are wealthy should do with their resources: “do good…be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share…” This instruction is helpful for all of us, rich or poor, as we are all blessed with different resources and gifts. While some members of the body of Christ may have material wealth, others have time, gifts, skills, etc. In fact, I’ve found that often folks have an easier time giving their money than they do claiming and sharing the gifts they have.

Many Christians lack the confidence to claim their gifts because they don’t want to appear boastful, or they downplay their gifts because their talents are unique and don’t fit neatly into a committee or role in the church or community. Are there resources/gifts that you share more freely than others? Are there gifts that God’s given you that you’ve been hesitant to claim and share? What holds you back?

Finally, all of this instruction concludes with the goal: “so that [we] may take hold of the life that really is life.” What does it mean to you to take hold of life that is really life?

As always, I look forward to your thoughts and reflections. Feel free to email me or post a comment here.

Peace,

Pastor Amee