(1 Tim 6)
As with many things in the Kingdom of God, the truth is not superficial.
Or how we think it looks like.
But our hearts are the soil in which the truth seeks to be implanted.
Timothy clearly had a job to do, and this included trying to dispel false and corrupt teaching that led to an unhealthy appetite.
For money.
It seemed that there was a formula that went something like this: godliness + money = gain.
So, there was godliness mixed up with money, with one leveraging the other.
A potent mix
The antidote was another formula : godliness + contentment = great gain.
The apostle modelled this " I have learned, in all things, to be content"
And so he passed it on to Timothy.
The problem with the first formula is that it can never be satisfied. Which leads to a question.
Can we ever be content with what we have?
"Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (vs 10)
So, eagerness for money, and hunger for God make for difficult company
And the fruit of it sounds painful
Our lives will be impacted by that which our hearts go after, for good or ill.
A friend of mine once said that whether you have a million in the bank or nothing should make no difference..
And I have a feeling
That she was right.