I am reminded of the simple-living Quaker who was watching his new neighbor move in, with all of the furnishings and expensive toys that successful people collect. The Quaker finally went over to his new neighbor and said, Neighbor, if ever thou dost need anything, come to see me, and I will tell thee how to get along without it. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 235). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Socrates 469-399 BC. Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty. Epicurus 341-270 BC. If you will make a man happy, add not to his riches but take away from his desires. Seneca 4 BC - AD 64. It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.
1Timothy 6 Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.
2 And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,
4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. NKJV
1Timothy 6 Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. NKJV
70% of Americans do not like their jobs Of those 70%, 90% said they did not feel like going to work in the morning.
Colossians 3 22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. NKJV
1Peter 2 18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. NKJV
1Timothy 6 2 And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things. NKJV
I recall counseling a young lady who resigned from a secular job to go to work in a Christian organization. She had been there about a month and was completely disillusioned. I thought it was going to be heaven on earth, she complained. Instead, there are nothing but problems. Are you working just as hard for your Christian boss as you did for your other boss? I asked.
The look on her face gave me the answer. Try working harder, I advised, and show him real respect. Just because all of you in the office are saved doesn t mean you can do less than your best. She took my advice and her problems cleared up. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 234). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
1Timothy 6 3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome (hugiaino ) words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, NKJV
It is possible not to profess any ungodly or manifest error and yet to corrupt the doctrine of godliness by silly boastful babbling. For when there is no progress or edification from any teaching, it has already departed from the institution of Christ. John Calvin
Ephesians 4 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. NKJV
1Timothy 6 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. NKJV
While not ignoring the blessings of following Jesus Christ, we must proclaim the need to follow Jesus because He is God, and we owe Him everything as our Creator. What is right before God, and what glorifies Him, is more important than whatever benefit we may gain. David Guzik
I believe that it is the will of God for all to prosper because I see it in the Word, not because it has worked mightily for someone else. I do not put my eyes on men, but on God who gives me the power to get wealth. Robert Tilton
When we pray, believing that we have already received what we are praying, God has no choice but to make our prayers come to pass.... It is a key to getting results as a Christian. Creflo Dollar
Give $10 and receive $1,000; give $1,000 and receive $100,000.... In short, Mark 10:30 is a very good deal. Gloria Copeland, God s Will is Prosperity
"I am fully convinced - I would die saying it is so - that it is the plan of Our Father God, in His great love and in His great mercy, that no believer should ever be sick; that every believer should live his full life span down here on this earth; and that every believer should finally just fall asleep in Jesus" Kenneth E. Hagin, Seven Things You Should Know about Divine Healing, p. 21.
A central tenet of the prosperity gospel is that God wills the financial prosperity of every Christian. If a believer lives in poverty, he/she is living outside God s intended will. You must realize that it is God s will for you to prosper Kenneth Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, p. 51.
God has already done everything He s going to do. The ball is now in your court. If you want success, if you want wisdom, if you want to be prosperous and healthy, you re going to have to do more than meditate and believe; you must boldly declare words of faith and victory over yourself and your family Joel Osteen From Your Best Life Now, p.132
He does not only forbid Timothy from imitating them, but tells him to avoid them as harmful pests. Although they do not openly oppose the Gospel, but make a profession of it, yet their company is infectious. Besides, if the crowd sees us to be familiar with these men, there is a danger that they will use our friendship to insinuate themselves into its favour. We should therefore take great pains to make everyone understand that we are quite different from them, and have nothing at all in common with them. John Calvin
1Timothy 6 6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. NKJV
Psalm 84 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! NKJV
Cheating on a significant other isn t always about sex. There s another type of infidelity that is less talked about and harder to spot, yet has the same, damaging effect as any other type of betrayal: financial infidelity. And, according to a new Smart About Money survey, the number of people who are financially unfaithful is on the rise.
Among those couples who have ever combined finances, two in five (42 percent) have committed some sort of financial deception. That s up noticeably from two years ago, Ted Beck, president of the National Endowment for Financial Education, told Fox News.
When people in relationships are financially unfaithful, it can include things like hiding purchases, hiding bank account statements, taking things from the mail so their partner or spouse does not see, keeping cash, or even having a credit card the other party doesn t know about. By Ashley Papa Published March 13, 2017 FoxNews.com
1Timothy 6 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. NKJV
Psalm 62 10 If riches increase, do not set your heart on them. NKJV
1Timothy 6 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. NKJV
1Timothy 6 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. NKJV
Matthew 19 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. NKJV
1Timothy 6 10 For the love(philarguria) of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. NKJV
In Utah, one unemployed 28 year old man is offering to be human prey for hunters for the bargain price of $10,000. For an additional $2,000, he will let people hunt him down while he is running around naked.
The Huffington Post is reporting that there has been an epidemic of air conditioning thefts all over the United States In Oregon, thieves recently broke into a Salvation Army community center and stole 3 large air conditioning units. Now all the people that come to that facility for help and for community programs this summer will be absolutely sweltering.
In Corpus Christi, Texas thieves have actually been breaking into funeral homes in order to steal the embalming fluid. Criminals recently broke into a southwest Atlanta beauty supply store and took off with $30,000 in hair extensions.
In another area of Atlanta, thieves have been breaking down walls and busting bathroom fixtures with sledgehammers in order to get their hands on copper, brass and steel. One grandmother in Florida has been accused of trying to sell her newborn grandson for $75,000.
In Antioch, California a total of approximately 300 power poles were recently knocked down by thieves and stripped of their copper wiring. In Minnesota recently, a mob of teen girls brutally pummeled a mother and her two daughters until they were black and blue. Apparently the mob of teen girls was enraged over a pair of missing sunglasses.
In Florida, thieves have actually been stealing storm drain covers. In the Cleveland area, two young boys that had set up a lemonade stand were robbed in broad daylight. The crooks got away with approximately 12 dollars. In Oklahoma, thieves recently broke into a church and stole arts and crafts supplies meant to help teach bible stories to children.
A 59 year old man from North Carolina named Richard James Verone was so desperate for money that he actually robbed a bank and got caught on purpose so that he could be put in prison and be given free health care.
Philippians 4 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. NKJV
Our deepest joys and well-being are to be found in God s kingdom. We are to be content with God period. In the Old Testament, the Levitical priesthood received no portion in the division of the land; their portion was God himself as they served before him day after day (Num. 18:20). Under the new covenant, Christians are priests unto God (1 Pet. 2:5). He alone is our inheritance. The question comes back to us, Will we be content with Him? Larson, K. (2000). I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon (Vol. 9, pp. 244 245). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.