Four Commands for Those Who Are Rich in this Present World (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

Paul chooses to command those who are rich in this present world to do certain things versus condemn them for being rich (1 Timothy 6:17-19). There’s nothing wrong with being rich, but rich people do receive special instructions. Read or listen to this material from Your Finances God’s Way to see what God says to rich people. Table of ContentsThe Rich Have Greater AccountabilityFirst, Command Those Who Are Rich in this Present World to Be HumbleSecond, Command Those Who Are Rich in this Present World to Trust GodThird, Command Those Who Are Rich in this Present World to Do Good WorksFourth, Command Those Who Are Rich in this Present World to Give GenerouslyA Better Approach to Giving People don’t become doctors the day they decide they want to pursue a medical career. The decision must have been made years earlier, and they must have made many sacrifices to endure through an internship and residency. Similarly, if people want to be lawyers, they don’t wake up one day and say, “I’m going to be a lawyer,” and then start trying cases. The decision to become a lawyer must be made well before, involving years of commitment before taking on clients. You might already have an IRA because you are planning for the golden years. You don’t wake up when you’re older and say, “Let me start a retirement plan.” The decision is made years earlier, so you are prepared when you retire. Perhaps you are saving for your children’s education. You don’t attend their high school graduation and say, “I’d better put something aside to pay for their college.” The decision must be made long in advance. The lesson is that knowledge of the future determines our behavior in the present. When we know what we desire in the future, we will make decisions to reach those goals in the present. This has great application for us as stewards. If we want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” we don’t wait until the end of our lives to start being faithful. We decide to be faithful starting now—today! The verses we will examine next can help put us on the right path. The Rich Have Greater Accountability First Timothy 6 addresses two groups. The first group, “who desire to be rich” and have a “love of money,” are in 1 Timothy 6:9-10. The second group is “those who are rich in this present age” in 1 Timothy 6:17-19. It is essential to notice that Paul doesn’t criticize the second group, who is rich, but he criticizes the first group, who desires to be rich. This seems backward! We would expect Paul to criticize the first group, which is rich while pitying the second group, which is not rich. Why is it this way? Because, as we also discussed, money is amoral. The problem is not being rich. The problem is a love of money or a strong desire to be rich. But even though being rich isn’t bad, it does mean having greater accountability before God. Stewardship is more difficult with more money because there is more to steward. So, Paul has special instructions for rich people: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life (1 Timothy 6:17-19). If the parable of the rich fool tells rich people what not to do, these verses tell rich people what to do. Maybe you are thinking, Oh, I’m not rich, so these verses don’t apply to me. As I shared earlier, Americans are wealthy, measured by the living standards of the rest of the world, especially those throughout history. We must be careful not to read verses about riches and think they apply to others but not us. With that in mind, the above verses include four instructions to the rich. Let’s look carefully at each of them for our spiritual and fi...