Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Set their hopes... on God who richly provides.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, August 21, 2018
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Finally! A text about riches that doesn't wholly condemn riches or the rich! You've heard it said that money is the root of all evil. I don't think that's true -- people have the capacity to make bad decisions. Money is little more than a tool in the hands of people who choose whether to use it wisely or selfishly.
The text warns against haughty behavior as it relates to money. And yes, haughty riches come with arrogance and an attitude that those with money are inherently better than those without. Such an attitude can blind us to the harsh realities of those living in poverty. It can make us turn a blind eye, or worse, use the power money affords us to further oppress others.
And the danger doesn't stop there. The text also warns against "setting hopes on the uncertainty of riches." In short, riches are a fickle. They might serve you well one day and then desert you the next. If we place all our happiness on whether or not we have money, then true happiness will always elude us.
Instead, we are invited to place our trust, hopes, dreams, and happiness on God, "who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." Not that we are only given what we need to live. But also that we are given what we need to thrive. There is nothing wrong with having money. There is nothing wrong with enjoying our lives. What we do with that -- now, that is worth giving some thought.
Narrative Lectionary Daily Reading:
1 Timothy 6:17
As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
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