Great Wealth - The One Year Praying through the Bible for Your Kids

True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8

PAUL COMMENDED TO TIMOTHY a very different kind of wealth than most of this world knows —a life ordered around enjoying God and what he gives instead of a life spent in pursuit of more money. He wanted Timothy, and us, to know that the godliness that overcomes the craving for material wealth produces great spiritual wealth.

Paul made his case for true godliness with contentment in light of what he had observed —“some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (verse 10). In other words, he had watched some people set their hearts on money, only to see it break their hearts in the end. They were blind to the reality that they could not keep what they collected since none of us leave this life with any possessions. Their money made them vulnerable to powerful temptations and filled them with harmful desires that ultimately led them into ruin. Most significantly, their craving for money and their justification for pursuing it led them away from the true faith.

As we parent our children in a world that pours on the pressure to succeed and glorifies getting more and better stuff, there is really only one way to impress upon them the genuine joy of being content with enough food to eat and clothing to wear. We, as parents, must be growing in godliness in such a way that we are increasingly content with enough food to eat and clothing to wear. We don’t always have to have the best food available or the latest style of clothing. We can be content with “enough” and therefore enjoy our great wealth into eternity.

Giver of all good things, would you create in ________ a longing to be godly and content with all that you provide? Will you cause ________ to crave all of the spiritual blessings in Christ instead of craving more and more money? Please save ________ from the sorrows that the love of money brings.