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Be Generous
1 Timothy 6:17-19
The last admonition of Paul is directed towards wealthy saints in Ephesus. Earlier, Paul condemned false teachers for their wrong desire to be rich. They were motivated by money and unscrupulous in the pursuit of it. Paul did not want to be misinterpreted as someone who condemned wealth. There were Christians in the church at Ephesus who were wealthy. Being wealthy is not sinful. Wealth can bring certain challenges to our faith and a greater degree of responsibility. Jesus taught the principle that to whom much is given much is required (Luke 12:48).
The rich were not to be arrogant. Wealth can inflate pride. Wealthy people can have an attitude that they are better, smarter, harder working, and or more deserving of their abundance that those who have less. Also, they were not to put their hopes in their wealth. As Paul describes, wealth is uncertain. It can be stolen, spent, or lost. There are limitations to what wealth can do. Instead, they were to put their hope in God.
The right attitude and perspective towards wealth would aid the rich in being good stewards of their money. They were to be generous with their wealth. By being generous, the rich would experience the true goodness of life. In his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, Paul reminded them of the words of Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). If we want to be like God and His Son, we must be generous.
QUESTIONS
1. Why does wealth often create elitism?
2 Why do we put our hope in wealth?
3. How can we balance saving and providing for our needs with generosity?
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