Thought For The Week 28 September 2025

Today we are continuing from Hermann’s reflections from Paul’s letter to his young protege Timothy. His letter has significant advice and instruction for those in pastoral ministry and church leadership, but the relevance of these instructions goes beyond the immediate audience. We can all benefit from Paul’s wisdom and insights and in chapter 6 he deals with something very dear to many of us; money.

We live in a world that is obsessed with money. There is great anxiety at present  because our economy refuses to grow, even though the governments number one goal is GROWTH. Those with very little money can obsess over where their next meal is coming from or how to pay their debts; those with an abundance might obsess over how to get even more (or perhaps how to not lose what they have). I’ve been reading a biography about Donald Trump and it is clear that his obsession is with money and fame. He is completely driven by the need to have more of both.

But Paul counsels us that ‘godliness with contentment is great gain’ (1 Tim 6:6). Godliness comes through the path of following Jesus, a man who selflessly gave himself for others and shunned the temptation of fame and fortune. He also said, in an often miss-quoted verse, that ‘the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil’

(1 Tim 6:10). Money should never be the object of our affection. It is necessary, it is useful, but it is not God and cannot take the place of God.

Nga mihi nui,

Berent Richardson