1 Timothy 6:6-11
I am sure that most Christians would be sincere when they say that they serve God, not money. But even when we put God’s righteousness ahead of money in our priorities, if money comes a close second, it can nevertheless pollute our values and choices. I think this is why when St Paul wrote about the dangers of loving money, he reiterated the same priorities as Jesus but used stronger language to encourage Timothy to orientate his life away from temptation.
- Flee avarice and greed: do not just ignore it but do what you can to put yourself beyond its reach.
- Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness: do not just seek them but chase after them.
That money should be of secondary importance is not a unique Christian position. I came across Michael Phillips’ book, The Seven Laws of Money, early in my research about developing right attitudes to money. It was written in 1974 and quickly became an underground classic among business executives. As it is based on Tao philosophy, which seeks to live in harmony with the driving force behind all of life rather than the revelation of a personal God, I do not agree with everything it says, but I have found it enormously helpful in challenging my thinking. My reason for citing it is to draw attention to the first law, ‘Money will come when you are doing the right thing’.
But Michael Phillips’ first law posed a problem: what is the explanation when a person does the right thing and the money does not come? Does it mean that the person was misguided and not doing right after all? In response, Phillips affirms that in his experience the money usually becomes available and describes any failure as the ‘logical fallacy’ of the first law; he encourages people not to be caught up with the fallacy but to go with the law’s reality.
As a Christian, I believe in a God who can underwrite our obedience to the way of life he wants us to live but if he appears not to, then the problem is with either our understanding of his teaching or our ability to see the bigger picture. The challenge is to live in the courage of that conviction.
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