Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. 1 Timothy 6:18-19 NLT
Have you been totally mind-boggled by all the mentions of “billions” of dollars in the news? Every day it seems there’s a new story with that unimaginable figure in it. It’s a difficult figure for me to imagine. A million seconds is 12 days; a billion seconds is 31 years. It’s an astronomical number for anything, including dollars.
Most of us have probably had a daydream or two about having more money. We’re not generally picturing billions, just more than we have. But you’ve heard the horror stories of people who win the lottery thinking it will make their lives better and it does the opposite. Their relationships are often strained, even ruined. Many of the people we can name who have ridiculous sums of money are not known for character and good works, just known for their money. Having a ton of money isn’t all we imagine it would be. Many monied people make surprisingly candid statements about the inability of money to satisfy.
Money in general is a tool, but it’s not an end. It’s a means to an end. So, what’s the perspective God wants us to have in using this tool to achieve His ends? Paul makes it so clear to Timothy. All these years later we still get it. No matter where I fall on the financial scale, I am to …
Use my money to do good. It doesn’t mean I can’t ever use resources on myself, but high on my priority is helping others.
Be rich in good works. Make doing good for others among my most valuable legacy.
Be generous to those in need. Generosity goes beyond the bare minimum. It’s doing more than absolutely necessary.
Make sharing with others my default attitude and action. I pre-decide that when I see a need, I will share. This will enable me to see as God sees, so I will constantly be alerted to places and people where I will be able to make a positive difference.
All of this will benefit me too. It’s not how much we have, but how we use it that counts most for eternity. I am sending my treasures ahead as a foundation for my future, starting with true life right now and in the life that has no end.
- What does my future look like? How am I building? From God’s perspective, how’s my chance of experiencing true life? Where can I do better?