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Bible Reading Plan

Reading Plan: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 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.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

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 in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 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.

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Daily Devotional: More Important than Money

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:24

My dad, like many immigrants, came to the United States to pursue a better life, “the American dream.” He found his niche and gradually rose from doing manual labor to Supervisor, Foreman, Plant Manager, and General Manager, and was offered a Vice President Position.

Growing up in my home, hard work and making money were emphasized. We believed in God, but this seemed to be emphasized only during Christmas and Easter. When I was in my early twenties, I announced that I had decided to enroll in a religious school to train for Christian ministry. My dad was not pleased—he actually was antagonistic toward the idea. He made it clear he felt I was wasting my time and money by doing so.

Then something happened. One evening, my dad was watching a Billy Graham telecast on TV, and as my dad tells the story, Billy Graham was preaching on Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” My dad realized he was serving money. As Billy Graham always did, he gave an invitation to invite Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior. That evening my dad prayed to invite Jesus Christ into his life as his Lord and Savior.

My dad’s priorities began to change. He was still very dedicated to his work, but he now made serving God his top priority. As he began to put God first in his life instead of the pursuit of money, he came to realize that I was not wasting my life by pursuing Christian ministry, and he became one of my biggest supporters, telling everyone that his son was a pastor. 

Next Steps

We all need money to pay for our homes, food, education, and list the goes on.  Let’s just make sure we put God first and not the pursuit of money. If this is a struggle for you, pray and ask God to show what’s at the root of it. Then release it to Him and trust He will begin to change your heart.