Am I Contented With My Financial Condition?

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.  (Hebrews 13:5-6, KJV)

Covetousness is a very grave sin that the Scripture class it among the very gravest and grossest crimes (Ephesians 5:3) while in Colossians 3:5, it is "idolatry." 1 Corinthians 6:10 set forth as excluding a man from inheriting the kingdom of God.

It is accounted for by its being in a very real sense the root of so many sin, such as: (1) Departure from the faith (1 Timothy 6:9,10); (2) Lying (2 Kings 5:22-25); (3) Theft (Joshua 7:21); (4) Domestic trouble (Proverbs 15:27); (5) Murder (Ezekiel 22:12); and (6) Many foolish and hurtful lusts (1 Timothy 6:9).

Covetousness is (a) a deceiving sin for it blinds the understanding and corrupts the judgment in a main point of happiness; (b) an insatiable sin, that is, incapable of being satisfied or appeased (Ecclesiastes 5:10); (c) a galling sin that works a continuously agitated and takes away all the comfort of this life (1 Timothy 6:10); and (d) an ensnaring sin (1 Timothy 6:9) wherein wealth as its bait to allure men to pull them down to perdition (Mark 10:23; Luke 14:18-19).

Desire nothing more than what God has given you and do not covet which God has given to another man for this is the very spirit of robbery.  Therefore, be satisfied with present things and abstain from others.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5) for He promised, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." This same promise was made to Joshua (Joshua 1:5) and also belongs to all believers as that God will not leave his people in the hands of their enemies, nor forsake them in distress, nor withhold any good thing from them who are needful, but will supply them with the necessaries of life - which is the reason why we should be content.

God did not only made a promise but He is our Helper - able to help, willing to help and does help when no one else can. Why then we should fear if we have the assurance that the Lord is on our side and who is able, willing, and does help.

The Treasure of a Good Foundation for the Future

That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.  (1 Timothy 6:18,19, KJV)

Being rich in this world is wholly different from being rich towards God.  Nothing is more uncertain than worldly wealth.

Rich men sometimes do much ill to themselves, to the hurt of their bodies, by luxury, intemperance (habitual indulgence in drinking spirituous liquors, with or without intoxication), and debauchery (excess in the pleasures of the table gluttony; corruption of fidelity).  Their souls are ruined and to others by fraud, oppression, and violence.  It is in their hands the power to do much evil or to do much good, as they should.

Those who are rich, must see that God gives them their riches.  They must reckon that their true riches lie more in the existence of grace and in the fruits of it.

Rich men must be ready to distribute even if unasked.  And when they are asked, they do not turn away but give at once - without grief but with cheerfulness, for God loves a cheerful giver.  They should be also willing to communicate of their good things to the necessities of the poor, making them common to them, and them partakers of them.

Lastly, they must also think of another world and lay up a treasure in heaven that will be fore themselves to enjoy to all eternity.

Is Material Riches Good or Bad?

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. (1 Timothy 6:9, KJV)

Material riches are regarded by the Scriptures as neither good nor bad in themselves, but only according as they are properly or improperly used.

Material riches is transitory (Proverbs 27:24);  they are not be trusted in (Mark 10:23; Luke 18:24: 1 Timothy 6:17); they are not to be glorified (Jeremiah 9:23); the heart is not to be set on them (Psalm 62:10); but they are made by God (Psalm 104:24), and come from God (1 Chronicles 29:12); and they are the crown of the wise (Proverbs 14:24).

1 Timothy 6:9 refer to persons who are determined to get riches - not they that are rich for some rich men are good men and do much good with their riches but such that would be rich - those who make this their object and aim in life; who live to get money; who get all they can, save all they can, and keep all they get.

It is in consequence of the temptation of the devil that they have determined to be rich. This temptation once received, others quickly succeed; and when they have swallowed down the temptation to the thing, then they drink in a thousand temptations to the means.  All of these leads them into unforeseen and concealed trap.

This trap is called "foolish and hurtful lusts," - desires such as the love of wealth (1 Timothy 6:10) - that is harmful and would cause one to sink.  The idea of "drowning" is an image of a shipwreck, where the ship and all that is in it go down together.  The destruction is complete:  total ruin of happiness, of virtue, of reputation, and of the soul.

Doctrine of Stewardship

Stewardship is one of the subjects that people are often least enthusiastic to study.  Yet, Jesus devoted roughly 25% of his words in the Gospels in this subject, including 28 passages therein.  In Old and New Testaments combined, there are over 800 verses on the subject ranging from planning, budgeting, saving, investing, debt, and giving.

Wealth is referred to everything we have that God given to us including our finances, jobs, houses, products of our land, businesses, automobiles and personal items.

The following are the summary of the New Testament teaching about wealth: (1) it warns against the desire to be rich (1 Timothy 6:9,18,19; Hebrews 13:5-6); (2) it gives some general guidelines for what the rich should do (1 Timothy 6:17-19; Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:32-34; Luke 14:13-14); and (3) it explains why God has given us so much (Ephesians 4:28).

God owns everything (Deuteronomy 8:17-18; Psalm 50:10; Haggai 2:8; James 1:16-18) and we are just His stewards.

A steward is a person, who by God's grace, manages, organizes, administrates, and otherwise has been entrusted with authority over everything that belongs to God.  Because they belong to God they recognize that ultimately everything they are and have belongs to God.  We are steward of our time, our talent, and our treasure or wealth.

Our property isn't really our own and isn't a measure of our personal worth.  The fact that God owns everything and we are to be a faithful steward of it explains why when people fail to do so God charges them with robbing or stealing from him (Malachi 3:8-10).

Biblical stewardship is therefore defined as the responsibility of believers to manage the resources that God has created and whatever has been placed at their disposal.