For those of you who know me, you would know that I appreciate (love) the finer things in life; a decadent meal, exquisite furnishings, cutting-edge tech/gear, the freshest sneakers and prose/poetry/plays/songs/shows that are the pinnacle of language and the human experience. After all, besides the fact that life is short and full of sorrow (Job 14:1-2), the Preacher in Ecclesiastes also exhorts us to enjoy what we have been given in life, as written in Ecclesiastes 5:18-19:
“Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. [19] Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.”
But before you judge and berate me in your heart for advocating hedonism and materialism, I hope to highlight what some of you might already have inferred from the title of this article, to be wary of the love/desire of attaining vast riches, as cautioned in 1 Timothy 6:10:
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”
While is it perfectly fine to enjoy the fruits of your labour, as mentioned earlier, it is the seed of desire, the want for riches: once it takes root in your heart, that causes much sorrow and worse still, causes one to err and/or fall away from the faith. If we pair 1 Timothy 6:10 with 1 Timothy 6:9, it details the consequences of those who choose to pursue wealth rather than the health of their spiritual well-being, for “[…] they that will (desire to) be rich" will be tempted, ensnared, made fools of, hurt, overwhelmed and utterly destroyed.
Conversely, we are taught the remedy to this malady of Dragon Sickness (most famously suffered by Thorin Oakenshield in Tolkien’s The Hobbit) in 1 Timothy 6:6-8, with the first practical step, in my opinion, seen in verse 8, where “[…] having food and raiment let us be therewith content." “Food and board," a statement of what characters in plays and medieval fantasy tales would be content with, is commonly seen on our sunny shores, with public housing and public hawker centres readily available to all Singaporean citizens, and something we should all be content with and thankful for. Contentment, even by the standards of most philosophers and writers, is also a state of mind, and 1 Timothy 6:7 brings about the realization that some might not be cognizant about, or have forgotten, that “[…] we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out," and the thesis statement of 1 Timothy 6, “[…] godliness with contentment is great gain." The volte-face on chasing after riches and wealth is stark here, especially so when Christians are told to pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” instead (1 Timothy 6:12). I believe the choice is clear regarding what Christians should seek after to attain contentment in this life, and it certainly is not material wealth or riches at the cost of one’s faith and pursuit of godliness.
Making this choice will not be easy, especially in this society that values one’s net worth in a capitalistic system, since colonial times. It is perhaps apt to echo the words of 1 Timothy 6:12 at this point, with added emphasis on the very first word in the verse, to “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” We must endeavour to be the best that we can be by God’s standards, and not the world’s. There is a quote attributed to Oscar Wilde posthumously, where he quips: “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best;" we as Christians would also do well to remember that we should always give of our best to the Lord, to satisfy our Lord who has given us blessings to keep us content, and most importantly, the chance and choice to be a part of the best thing ever, the plan of salvation and entry into Heaven.
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