1 Timothy 6:1-21 • Clothed with a Godly Reputation Regarding Work and Wealth

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Paul wrote about two major areas of our everyday lives in 1 Timothy chapter 6—work and wealth. Both take a lot of our resources as well as time and energy. Both are essential in how we adorn ourselves with godliness. In the last blog, we looked at the value of recognizing godliness by what women do with their lives. This is post #8 in the 1 Timothy & Titus blog series. In this post, we will look at how to be clothed with a godly reputation regarding work and wealth.

A Godly Reputation Regarding Work

A common workplace

After giving advice on the best way to care for widows in the church and to respect the elders who are shepherding the people, Paul next turns his attention to a common workplace in Ephesus—the household.

All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves. These are the things you are to teach and insist on. (1 Timothy 6:1-2)

Work was as much a part of the first century culture as it is today. Every household was a work place for the women as well as the men. Nearly half of the Roman population consisted of slaves of some sort . Some were indentured servants who could earn their freedom. Some were bondservants who chose to stay with their former masters even after being released. Most were in a permanent bondage and could not be released. That was the reality. Paul addressed the reality.

Every farm was a work place. Men and women had businesses that provided their income and employed people. Acts 16 introduces us to Lydia from Philippi who was identified by her business—she was a seller of purple. Acts 18 introduces us to Priscilla who owned a tent-making business with her husband. Everyone who heard Jesus preach or who read the New Testament letters understood that work was a necessary, unending part of life.

Work in any culture

Work in any culture is…well, work. Sometimes enjoyable. Often hard and exhausting. Sometimes challenging because of the people with whom you work rather than the work itself. That can apply to any kind of legal and moral work—inside or outside of your home. When you’re working with your God-given skills, all work can be an expression of your devotion to God. And adorning yourself with godliness applies to your work. It means that you view your work as more than a paycheck. Let me explain.

More Than a Paycheck

Working for the Lord

My husband teaches a course called, “Your Work: More than a Paycheck.” He got that title from a seminar he attended several years ago. Viewing work in this way is very important for anyone adorning herself with godliness.

In Colossians chapter 3, we read these words about work,

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. That’s devotion to Him.

Work as a mission field

Your workplace, wherever that may be, is your mission field. Your work environment is where you must intentionally practice letting Jesus live His life through you—in difficult situations, with challenging people, and with integrity that honors the Lord Jesus Christ. We spend a great deal of time at work but may not see how our work intersects with our faith. That’s understandable since it’s rare to hear workplace applications in sermons or see them in Bible Studies (unless they are written for the workplace).

So how do you live in your daily mission field? You do everything you learned in 1 Timothy so far—devote yourself to the Lord and express that in words and behavior that reflect Him and please Him.

Paul wrote this to Timothy,

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12)

Those exhortations do not only apply to pastors like Timothy but also to us. We are to set an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity everywhere, including at work. Work is where we practice godliness.

Work and Godliness

What you bring to work affects others

A friend of mine recently told me how a once team-oriented, respect-and-support-each-other work climate went into toxic shock in a matter of 3-4 weeks because of a new female employee! From the moment she stepped into her new job, Ms. Toxic began targeting her fellow administrative personnel (mainly women) with harsh criticism. Pretty soon, Ms. Toxic had planted seeds of doubt in all the other women about each other so that distrust and hurt feelings prevailed based on malicious talk. This was done without the managers recognizing what was happening. Finally, one of the hurting women cracked under the torture and spilled the beans to her boss.

The sad thing is that the woman who created the “toxic shock” work environment called herself a Christian and attended a local Bible-teaching church. The pastor is well-known for his truthful sermons. She went to church on Sunday, joined in the worship music and heard a sermon on being Christ-like. Then, she left it at home when she went to work on Monday and spewed rotten talk from her mouth. That is not adorning yourself with godliness.

For more about this, read the blog, “Don’t Bring Toxic Shock to Your Workplace.”

The effect of business owners

Christian business owners should also conduct their business with godliness. That would include courtesy to anyone applying for a job with their organization. Rudeness is rampant, and rarely does someone even receive a reply of any kind.

I worked for a Christian-owned IT company. This was not a Christian ministry organization but a profitable business. Every application we received for a job, even unsolicited applications, received a pre-set, very kind and courteous email reply. That represents Christ so much better than silence or rudeness.

For more on this topic, read the blog, “The Rudeness of Not Responding with a “Thank you for applying …”

Jesus is Lord over our work. Employees or managers, Jesus is Lord over your work. Business owners, Jesus is Lord over your business. So your work represents your devotion to Him. It is worship. And we glorify Him as we do our work well.

The danger of work addiction

Work can become an addiction that takes the focus off of Christ and puts it on yourself instead. Most companies need employees to be productive, which is a biblical act of worship. And Christians should be the best workers.

But you know that you have let work become an addiction when you are obsessively thinking about freeing up more time for your work. When you develop health problems because of work-related stress and over work, that’s not working for the Lord.

Another clue is when you use your work to maintain your self-worth. The modern term for that is workism. Workism is the belief that your work is the center of your identity. For a Christian, your work should never be the center of your identity. Christ is. So if you recognize this in yourself, go to the Lord and ask Him to free you from your addiction to work. Talk to a counsellor about this as well.

Work is where you spend up to 2/3 of your waking hours. Work is God’s idea, a means to accomplish His mission, a place for Him to mature us, has purpose beyond ourselves, and is where we practice godliness. You can and should build healthy relationships with co-workers because your work is a significant ministry for you as a Christian.

What if you are retired from income-producing work? How is your attitude toward the work that you did? Are you bad-mouthing it? Or can you now look back with gratitude that you had that opportunity to worship God with your work?

Godliness views work as more than a paycheck. It has a greater purpose. Are you onboard with that?

Read more about work as worship and how you can live out your faith in your workplace in this blog, “Counter the ‘Work Is Secular’ Infection.”

A Godly Reputation Regarding Worldly Wealth

Just like work, Christians should think differently from the world regarding God’s provision and worldly wealth. Give yourself to the Lord first. Pursue what matters to God—His honor and His purposes—more than your own. Pursue godliness even in matters of worldly wealth.

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. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

In 1 Timothy chapter 6, we see a reference to those who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. Just be a good person, and God will make you prosperous. We still have that thinking today. Paul countered that with this statement, “Godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6).” What does that mean?

Believe it or not, having godliness is greater than having money. Godliness will lead you to contentment because it stems from your devotion to God and trust in Him. Seek God first. Avoid the love of money because it is a trap. Love God more than money. God will take care of your needs. And He richly provides enough for you to share with others as well.

That’s what it looks like to live a life that pleases God regarding money. God’s provision to us is not only for our needs but also for us to use for His purposes.

Truths about Our Worldly Wealth

Everything we have comes from God

As Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:7, “We brought nothing into the world.” There isn’t anything we have that we did not receive from God. What we consider as advantages to function well in society and prosper through work—birth, ethnicity, height, attractiveness, intelligence, natural talents—those are all gifts. We received them from God in our DNA.

Yet, we can boastfully live as though we had anything to do with our genetics or privileges at all. We tend to think of ourselves proudly as the originators of our material possessions.

Paul wrote this to Timothy and to us,

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. (1 Timothy 6:17)

Having worldly wealth can lead to arrogance and misplaced dependencies—putting your hope in wealth and what it provides for you. Instead, you should firmly plant your hope in God regardless of what He provides for you. The truth is: everything we have comes from God.

God’s provision is not a measure of our godliness or faith

God’s provision to you is not a measure of your godliness. Having that attitude can lead to prideful finger-pointing. We see a faithful believer who is struggling financially, and we point fingers at her. “If you were living right, you wouldn’t have this problem.” That’s not biblical.

How God chooses to provide for you or me at any time in our lives is His sovereign choice. We are to give ourselves first to Him and trust Him with our daily needs as we do the work He gives us to do.

God determines our provision—the how, when, and why

Most of the time, God’s provision is going to come through people, not miraculously appear from the sky. People design products and services to sell. They take the risk to start businesses and hire workers, including you. People buy farmers’ crops. And people provide meals for someone in a time of need.

In Jeremiah 29:7, God told the people to pray for their communities to prosper because it would benefit them.

Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. (Jeremiah 29:7)

So it’s okay to pray for prosperity for your community and your business. Just remember that God chooses how He provides for His own.

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. (1 Timothy 6:8)

We must learn to trust whatever manner He chooses and be not only content with that but also grateful for whatever God provides. When you have the Lord’s provision, you lack nothing that you need at this time in your life. It’s what you have, not what you don’t have. Rejoice at what you have instead of complaining about what you don’t have. Enjoy what He has provided. That’s how you live out your gratitude.

Read a more detailed discussion of these truths in this blog, “Two Widows • 4 Lessons to Learn about God’s Provision.”

Worldly Wealth Belongs to God

Put your hope in God not wealth

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. (1 Timothy 6:17)

Paul said not to put our hope in wealth which is so uncertain. Is that ever true!

But when we know Him and are devoted to Him, we can know that His every action is for a purpose that is goodness to us. We can look back and see the times God said “No” to what he wanted and did what was so much better than what we thought we needed.

Back in the 1980s, God gave us the opportunity and funds to build a beautiful log home next to a Christian camp in south Dallas. A couple of years later, He restricted our provision which forced us out of that house and moved us to a different town. Then, through an unexplainable, quirky series of events, He gave us that house back which provided rental income for us for a few years until we sold it to that camp for staff housing when they asked for it. I experienced a lot of pain during that time and wondered, “What are you up to God? Didn’t you give us this house?”

It was His to give and take away. I am humbled now as I recall what happened and see how He accomplished 2 purposes. 1) Getting me to a place where I had the opportunity to develop as a minister to women far more than I would have if I had stayed in that house and 2) providing for that camp’s needs through our hands.

Our hope is to be in our God, not in prosperity—current or future.

Be generous with God’s riches to you

Some of the Ephesians were very rich in both the Gospel and in material possessions. So what was Paul’s command to them in 1 Timothy chapter 6?

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. (1 Timothy 6:18-19)

Use what God has given you to generously help others. There’s no percentage. When you regard God’s provision as being supplied to you to not only meet your own needs but also to meet the needs of others, your attitude toward money changes.

That requires trusting God, not having plenty. How you handle whatever provision God gives you reveals how you much you are adorning yourself with godliness regarding money.

Be Rich Toward God

Jesus told a story in Luke chapter 12 about a rich man who kept building bigger barns to hoard his surplus grain to take care of him for many years. He put his hope in his riches.

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21)

None of us knows our death date. But all of us can live each day being rich toward God and generously sharing what He has provided to us. Godliness is viewing God’s provision as something belonging to Him and not to be hoarded for a future use that may never come.

Gratefully receiving and generously giving comes from the overflowing joy of knowing Jesus Christ and what He’s doing in your life. Whether you are the receiver or the giver, how you do both should be different than what the world does.

Godliness begins with devotion to God. When you are devoted to Him, you view His provision as belonging to Him. You enjoy what He provides with contentment. You put your hope in God rather than wealth as a protection from falling into the traps of those whose hope is in getting rich however you can. By generously sharing with others the very riches He gives to you, you lay up treasure for yourself in heaven as others see your godliness and are drawn to believe in the God you love and know. And all of that brings glory to the same God who is the object of your worship. It’s a win/win.

In the next post, we will see that godliness leaves no room for rebellion.

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with such love for God that you will want to live a life that pleases Him.

All of the above information is covered in the Adorn Yourself with Godliness Bible Study covering 1 Timothy and Titus in the New Testament.

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