August 10, 2025
Money is an emotional issue! For example, when you can’t afford something you want, sometimes you feel bad. Or I remember getting some weird advice from a friend of our family. She was pretty well off. My mom would take me along to visit her, and she would often serve us tapioca pudding. She once said to me, “You can fall in love with a rich man as easily as a poor man. So why not marry the rich man?” That seems a little calculated to pick your spouse based on if they’re rich! Or there’s a restaurant where the tip jar said, “Money is the root of all evil. Free yourself from some evil and leave us a tip!” Money is an emotional issue!
When I hear the verse, “Money is the root of all evil,” it feels emotional, like an angry preacher with a Bible saying: “You evil person, all you want is money! Your only hope is if you to turn to God and stop being so greedy!”
We’ve been looking at Scripture verses that are misused. And we’ve learned that looking at the context, not just the Scripture verse, but the verses around it and what was going on at the time, it helps us to better understand the verse. This verse comes from 1 Timothy. This is a letter Paul wrote to Timothy, it’s a letter from a mentor, a seasoned leader to a younger leader in the faith. Paul begins,
2” To Timothy my true son in the faith.” Paul is not angry at Timothy. He feels like Timothy is his son and he is giving him advice on how to lead others in faith. Paul is humble. He says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” Paul isn’t saying he’s holier than thou. Instead, he says, I have messed up more than anybody. So, when Paul writes about money, he’s not angry at Timothy. He’s not arrogant. Paul is just saying, “Timothy, I’ve lived many years, and I’ve learned some things about money that I I feel you need to pay attention to.”
Now, I want to show you how our verse, 1 Tim. 6:10, actually goes. Which, it’s not money is the root of all evil, but “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Money is a thing. It’s paper. Or a bank account. It’s a thing. It’s not evil of itself. But money has an emotional pull on us. And we can LOVE money. It can mean more to us than God or other people. Paul says, “10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
It’s a problem when a person loves money more than doing the right thing. It’s a problem, when a person loves money more than their family and friends. Paul tells Timothy, “6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” You can’t take it with you! There’s a joke about a wealthy man who had cancer and knew he was dying. He filled a briefcase with money and put it in the attic. His wife asked him, “Why did you put a briefcase full of money in the attic?” He said, “When I die, I’m going up to heaven. I’m just grabbing the briefcase and taking it with me.” Well, he died. His wife went up and looked in the attic, the briefcase was still there. She said, “I told that old fool he should have put it in the basement and grabbed it on his way down!” We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. It’s silly to think we can!
In verse 17, Paul instructs Timothy what to tell rich people. First off, who is rich? Do you think you’re rich? I don’t consider myself rich! But think about it: you have hundreds of dollars of tech in your pocket or purse (your cell phone). If you own a car, you are richer than 82% of the world! We’re doing ok. Paul tells Timothy, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope…” where should they put their hope? “…in God. Not in money, not in things, but in God. We don’t hope in this world, but in God. Paul says, “Command the rich to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” God is good! Why would we put our hope in money instead of God? Money promises what only God provides!
Paul tells Timothy in v. 18-19: 18 “Command them (those who are rich in the present age) to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
Paul is saying Christians should be doing good deeds, being generous and sharing. That way money won’t lead you down the wrong path. That way you are firm in your faith. That way you have a life that truly is life! Instead of focusing on yourself and your possessions, you go around doing good things.
The thing we sometimes forget, is when we do good to others and are generous to them, in a thoughtful and responsible way, we benefit as well! It feels good to help. We start a chain of good doing. If we do something for someone else, they want to do something good for us. And they want to do something good for other people, too. When we do good, we feel connected to other people and God. The world seems like a better place. Our mental health gets better from giving! Plus, we get that ooey gooey, warm and fuzzy feeling that we have made a difference!
I went to General Synod, the UCC National Meeting, last month. The General Synod delegates were sitting in the big hall. There are speak outs. Which is basically announcement time. You can stand at microphone for two minutes, and you’re on these big screens. Someone from Ohio, said, “This is Dan Busch, and he’s been in ministry 50 years, and I want to celebrate that he is such a wonderful person…” and I’m looking, and I say, “I know him!” I knew somehow Dan Busch had helped me and Kevin 30 years ago. I didn’t remember at first, what he did, but I knew he was a minister, he had lived in the Sunbury area, and he helped us!
When the session was over, I was leaving the convention center, and I saw Dan! He said, “I know you!” I said, “I know you; you helped Kevin and me.” I remembered that 30 years ago Kevin and I finished our ministry in Mahantango valley, a few months before we would start at a church in St. Louis. We were going with our toddler to stay with Kevin’s parents for a few months in Iowa. We put our furniture and stuff in storage in the Sunbury area. Dan agreed we could give him the key for the storage unit, when we were ready for our furniture and the movers came for it, he would unlock the storage unit for the movers.
Dan had a vague memory of that. I gave him a hug and took a selfie with him. I thanked him! It meant a lot that he was there for us. His good deed made a big impression on me even 30 years later.
So, when you have a choice of whether to help or give, go ahead and be generous! You get more than you give! The world feels like a place you can trust, you feel good, and you are a hero that passes love and ooey gooey feelings on.
My challenge for you is to think of someone who was generous to you. Remember that feeling of gratefully receiving a gift! Let that be motivation to do for someone else.
Paul gave Timothy gentle advice and instructions: don’t fall in love with money! Be content with what you have. Do good deeds and be generous. You don’t lose out when you are kind! You get a treasure, a firm foundation to live on, so that you take hold of the life that truly is life! Amen.
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