Better Is Little With the Fear of the Lordby KandD
6:61 Timothy 6:6
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Godliness joined with contentment is itself true and great gain, and it overturns the error of treating material wealth as proof of godliness. Contentment means being satisfied with food, clothing, and the necessities of life instead of making the pursuit of riches the aim. Riches are temporary and powerless to give lasting worth, since people bring nothing into the world and carry nothing out, must leave wealth behind at death, and cannot by wealth obtain moral worth, wisdom, God's favor, or lasting happiness. Being determined to become rich and loving money leads into temptation and snares, foolish and harmful desires, ruin and destruction, abandonment of faith and principle, and many piercing sorrows. The verse therefore calls for fleeing wealth-seeking and pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness toward eternal life, and this inward and spiritual gain is the true secret of happiness and real prosperity of soul and body.
True Gain Explained
Godliness joined with contentment is true and great gain, and the reversal that treats outward material gain as proof of piety is false and corrupting. Real profit is not possession or pursuit of riches but a life shaped by godliness, in contrast to pride, greed, and love of money. Religious claims used to get wealth are exposed as the opposite of this gain, as when profession of poverty stood alongside growing riches, luxurious living, and demands for gifts. Contentment means being satisfied with food and clothing and the necessities of life rather than making the pursuit of riches one's aim. It refuses slavery to earthly possessions and schemes to buy and sell and get gain while neglecting eternal things, and it holds money only in trust to bless humanity rather than to indulge and glorify self.
Riches are temporary and powerless to give lasting value, since people bring nothing into the world and can carry nothing out. Those who spend their lives seeking riches must leave them at death, having risked eternal interests for what cannot be taken with them. Wealth cannot establish worth before God, make a person superior in moral worth, wisdom, or judgment, secure God's favor, or secure lasting happiness. Godliness with contentment is the true secret of happiness and real prosperity of soul and body.
Being determined to become rich leads into temptation and snares. That resolve brings foolish and hurtful desires that drown in destruction and ruin, and love of money as the root of all evil brings wandering from faith and piercing sorrows. The desire for wealth brings neglect of eternal concerns, self-deception, abandonment of faith and principle, and sorrow rather than the expected happiness. Ambition for riches exposes even ministers to temptation and harmful desires.
The call therefore is to flee wealth-seeking and the will to be rich. In its place is pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. A life of faith and contentment is greater wealth than pursuing riches. This directs the heart from temporary possessions toward eternal life and lasting gain in godliness.
Contented Life Applied
The great gain of godliness with contentment is inward and spiritual, the truth hidden in the heart to mold the affections and sanctify the soul into purity, love, unity, and a meek and quiet spirit that is precious in God's sight, fed by the bread of life and not by rivalry, ambition, and the desire to be first. Pure and undefiled religion is seen in the life, and Christ dwelling within is a never-failing source of strength and present help in every time of trouble. That true profit stands against selfish seeking of advantage, which displeases God and ends in loss. It refuses slavery to earthly possessions and to schemes to buy and sell and get gain while neglecting eternal things.
Contentment is childlike leaning on God's tender care, abiding in His love and wisdom, ceasing anxious forecasting and self-establishing, and putting entire trust in Him to establish and keep what is committed to Him, grounded in trust that He will not forsake His people. Those who rely on His wisdom and power are wise, powerful, strong and happy, separated from the wisdom and help of man, for God does great things for His people when they trust Him entirely. Faith that penetrates the darkest cloud brings light and hope, while its absence brings perplexity, distressing fears and surmisings of evil. Money is held only in trust as the Lord's precious gift to bless humanity, and contentment is satisfied with food and clothing, rejecting the will to be rich and the use of money to indulge and glorify self, which becomes a curse, encumbrance, and temptation. That love of money as the root of all evil leads into snares, foolish and hurtful lusts, destruction and perdition, wandering from faith, and piercing sorrows, since nothing was brought into this world and nothing can be carried out.
Godliness with contentment is the true secret of happiness and real prosperity and well-being of soul and body, unlike the pursuit or possession of riches, which does not make people superior in wisdom or judgment and is not proof of godliness. Those who spend their lives seeking riches must leave them at death, having risked their eternal interests for what they cannot take with them. Hoarding and coveting wealth enslave people and bring sorrow, while contentment brings genuine happiness and prosperity of soul and body. Great gain follows godly living in this way: God makes labor done in love fruitful, though love itself does not work for profit or reward. The gain is the result God appoints, not the motive for loving action, for seeking happiness for its own sake does not bring it, while faithful duty and humility do.
In this light godliness is the sacred education of the inward life through God's grace in Jesus Christ, preparing God's children for immortality and continued learning in heaven. The call applies to poor as well as rich, for the poor are in danger of coveting the rich man's wealth and must not seek gain through impatient, unwise schemes, but be satisfied with necessities such as food and clothing rather than grasping for wealth. Treating material gain as godliness reverses the meaning, for love of the world and service to mammon enslave people and draw minds away from God. Godliness instead calls a person to use ability and influence in Christ's service and to lead the family toward serving God. Withdrawing is required from proud, ignorant people who dote on questions and strife of words and bring envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, and perverse disputings, who are corrupt in mind, destitute of truth, dishonor God, and treat outward gain as piety.
In the setting of speculation the teaching warns against seeking wealth beyond present circumstances and against the rapid increase of worldly wealth, for contentment with what one has guards against covetousness, the desire to become rich, and the temptations, sorrows, and spiritual ruin of loving money. Losses can teach a needed lesson and become victory when they turn the heart back to Christ. The same appeal calls the Wessels family to reject the pursuit of worldly gain and choose faithfulness, making service to God take priority over personal or temporal advantage. Those who look for Christ's second appearing and keep all God's commandments are especially tempted to become absorbed and drunk with cares, to place affection on possessions, to love and idolize the world when presented in its most attractive light, and to care more for money than for the success of Christ's kingdom and the spread of truth. When covetousness and love of earthly treasures become ruling traits, salvation and grace stand back, love for one another is destroyed, giving becomes grudging and sparing, means are withheld from Christ's service and kept for Satan's use, and ministers pursuing godliness and eternal life instead of ambition for riches are discouraged, driven to want and distress, and weakened in courage and zeal.
Religious claims used to gain wealth stand exposed as the opposite of godliness with contentment, as shown when the friars' profession of poverty stood against their growing riches, luxurious living, and demands for gifts.
Godliness joined with contentment is itself true and great gain, and it overturns the error of treating material wealth as proof of godliness. Contentment means being satisfied with food, clothing, and the necessities of life instead of making the pursuit of riches the aim. Riches are temporary and powerless to give lasting worth, since people bring nothing into the world and carry nothing out, must leave wealth behind at death, and cannot by wealth obtain moral worth, wisdom, God's favor, or lasting happiness. Being determined to become rich and loving money leads into temptation and snares, foolish and harmful desires, ruin and destruction, abandonment of faith and principle, and many piercing sorrows. The verse therefore calls for fleeing wealth-seeking and pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness toward eternal life, and this inward and spiritual gain is the true secret of happiness and real prosperity of soul and body.
True Gain Explained
Godliness joined with contentment is true and great gain, and the reversal that treats outward material gain as proof of piety is false and corrupting. Real profit is not possession or pursuit of riches but a life shaped by godliness, in contrast to pride, greed, and love of money. Religious claims used to get wealth are exposed as the opposite of this gain, as when profession of poverty stood alongside growing riches, luxurious living, and demands for gifts. Contentment means being satisfied with food and clothing and the necessities of life rather than making the pursuit of riches one's aim. It refuses slavery to earthly possessions and schemes to buy and sell and get gain while neglecting eternal things, and it holds money only in trust to bless humanity rather than to indulge and glorify self.
Riches are temporary and powerless to give lasting value, since people bring nothing into the world and can carry nothing out. Those who spend their lives seeking riches must leave them at death, having risked eternal interests for what cannot be taken with them. Wealth cannot establish worth before God, make a person superior in moral worth, wisdom, or judgment, secure God's favor, or secure lasting happiness. Godliness with contentment is the true secret of happiness and real prosperity of soul and body.
Being determined to become rich leads into temptation and snares. That resolve brings foolish and hurtful desires that drown in destruction and ruin, and love of money as the root of all evil brings wandering from faith and piercing sorrows. The desire for wealth brings neglect of eternal concerns, self-deception, abandonment of faith and principle, and sorrow rather than the expected happiness. Ambition for riches exposes even ministers to temptation and harmful desires.
The call therefore is to flee wealth-seeking and the will to be rich. In its place is pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. A life of faith and contentment is greater wealth than pursuing riches. This directs the heart from temporary possessions toward eternal life and lasting gain in godliness.
Contented Life Applied
The great gain of godliness with contentment is inward and spiritual, the truth hidden in the heart to mold the affections and sanctify the soul into purity, love, unity, and a meek and quiet spirit that is precious in God's sight, fed by the bread of life and not by rivalry, ambition, and the desire to be first. Pure and undefiled religion is seen in the life, and Christ dwelling within is a never-failing source of strength and present help in every time of trouble. That true profit stands against selfish seeking of advantage, which displeases God and ends in loss. It refuses slavery to earthly possessions and to schemes to buy and sell and get gain while neglecting eternal things.
Contentment is childlike leaning on God's tender care, abiding in His love and wisdom, ceasing anxious forecasting and self-establishing, and putting entire trust in Him to establish and keep what is committed to Him, grounded in trust that He will not forsake His people. Those who rely on His wisdom and power are wise, powerful, strong and happy, separated from the wisdom and help of man, for God does great things for His people when they trust Him entirely. Faith that penetrates the darkest cloud brings light and hope, while its absence brings perplexity, distressing fears and surmisings of evil. Money is held only in trust as the Lord's precious gift to bless humanity, and contentment is satisfied with food and clothing, rejecting the will to be rich and the use of money to indulge and glorify self, which becomes a curse, encumbrance, and temptation. That love of money as the root of all evil leads into snares, foolish and hurtful lusts, destruction and perdition, wandering from faith, and piercing sorrows, since nothing was brought into this world and nothing can be carried out.
Godliness with contentment is the true secret of happiness and real prosperity and well-being of soul and body, unlike the pursuit or possession of riches, which does not make people superior in wisdom or judgment and is not proof of godliness. Those who spend their lives seeking riches must leave them at death, having risked their eternal interests for what they cannot take with them. Hoarding and coveting wealth enslave people and bring sorrow, while contentment brings genuine happiness and prosperity of soul and body. Great gain follows godly living in this way: God makes labor done in love fruitful, though love itself does not work for profit or reward. The gain is the result God appoints, not the motive for loving action, for seeking happiness for its own sake does not bring it, while faithful duty and humility do.
In this light godliness is the sacred education of the inward life through God's grace in Jesus Christ, preparing God's children for immortality and continued learning in heaven. The call applies to poor as well as rich, for the poor are in danger of coveting the rich man's wealth and must not seek gain through impatient, unwise schemes, but be satisfied with necessities such as food and clothing rather than grasping for wealth. Treating material gain as godliness reverses the meaning, for love of the world and service to mammon enslave people and draw minds away from God. Godliness instead calls a person to use ability and influence in Christ's service and to lead the family toward serving God. Withdrawing is required from proud, ignorant people who dote on questions and strife of words and bring envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, and perverse disputings, who are corrupt in mind, destitute of truth, dishonor God, and treat outward gain as piety.
In the setting of speculation the teaching warns against seeking wealth beyond present circumstances and against the rapid increase of worldly wealth, for contentment with what one has guards against covetousness, the desire to become rich, and the temptations, sorrows, and spiritual ruin of loving money. Losses can teach a needed lesson and become victory when they turn the heart back to Christ. The same appeal calls the Wessels family to reject the pursuit of worldly gain and choose faithfulness, making service to God take priority over personal or temporal advantage. Those who look for Christ's second appearing and keep all God's commandments are especially tempted to become absorbed and drunk with cares, to place affection on possessions, to love and idolize the world when presented in its most attractive light, and to care more for money than for the success of Christ's kingdom and the spread of truth. When covetousness and love of earthly treasures become ruling traits, salvation and grace stand back, love for one another is destroyed, giving becomes grudging and sparing, means are withheld from Christ's service and kept for Satan's use, and ministers pursuing godliness and eternal life instead of ambition for riches are discouraged, driven to want and distress, and weakened in courage and zeal.
Religious claims used to gain wealth stand exposed as the opposite of godliness with contentment, as shown when the friars' profession of poverty stood against their growing riches, luxurious living, and demands for gifts.