How to be Rich and Happy

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Year C 19th Sunday after Pentecost How to be rich and happy What would you bring back if you could travel through time? It’s a common gambit in science fiction stories: some people build a time machine, or uncover a rift in the space time contimuum, or stumble into a wormhole. Before they know it, they find themselves in the future. After walking around in the future for a little while – tasting the future food, smelling the future flowers, - they decide it is time to go back home. But before they leave the future, these time travelers look around for somethine to take back withthem. What will it be. What is the one thing they can bring back that will make the most difference for tem as they return to their former life? Just to make things more interesting, let’s say their leap into the future is fairly short: just a week or two. If we were one of those time travelers, journeying a week into the future and back, what would we choose to bring back home with us? There is one answer that may come immediately to mind: winning lottery numbers! That one tidbit of factual information, gleaned from the mysterious future would be enough to transform our lives? Our omnipotent God can give us the same advice as the future It would certainly turn that little piece of paper into a blue chip investment. If we trust in God don’t need a time machine. God knows the future, God know everything. Not only the winning numbers, but other countless ways for us to get rich quick. Listen to God may get the answers. And yet we know God may have the information, but no desire to give it to us. God has different ideas about riches, investment, the future. But if we have a relationship with God, then we really learn how to invest in our future, and get riches beyond belief Timothy is failproof advice on getting rich Today, I want us to look at 1 Timothy 6:6-19 because this is where we get fail proof advice on how to gain riches and happiness. If we follow this advice, we can be sure that we will hit the jackpot on our lives. But in order for this advice to work in our lives, we have to be clear that there is a huge difference between the definition of having money and the love of money. Money Speaks I have this quote from money as it tells us the difference….. Money talks, we have been told since childhood. Listen to this dollar speak: “You hold me in your hand and call me yours. Yet may I not as well call you mine. See how easily I rule you? To gain me, you would all but die. I am invaluable as rain, essential as water. Without me, men and institutions would die. Yet I do not hold the power of life for them; I am futile without the stamp of your desire. I go nowhere unless you send me. I keep strange company. For me, men mock, love, and scorn character. Yet, I am appointed to the service of saints, to give education to the growing mind and food to the starving bodies of the poor. My power is terrific. Handle me carefully and wisely, lest you become my servant, rather than I yours.” —Ray O. Jones Message for us about money Money within itself is not good or bad, money is a means to an end. We get in trouble when we start to think that money is the end itself. Did you notice that we talked about money last week, and here we are talking about it again. I think that as we enter into a new economy in our church as as we approach stewardship season, the spirit is talking to us for some reason. As I looked at the lectionary texts for today, I noticed that all 4 of them talked about money. I actually choose Timothy because it was the most …benign. It expressed it message in a positive way and not as an accusation. Godliness is contentment Paul, as a spiritual mentor is giving advice to Timothy. He is actually preparing Timothy to became a pastor. But the advice that he gives is important for all of us who are genuinely seeking to be in service to God. If we want to call ourselves a Christian, we need to take this advice to heart. In the beginning of chapter 6, Paul bringing some clarity to what it means to serve God and to get rich. There are some who think that the scripture tells them that if they consider themselves to be godly people, then they will automatically become rich. I know a lot of Christians who are faithful, because they are well off. Paul is telling us that serving God is a little bigger than that. In the first sentence of today’s lesson, Paul starts out by saying – Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world so that we can take nothing out of it. In other words. Godliness is not about being well off, godliness is about being content with what we have. The word for contentment used here means self sufficient. Not so much depending on our selves, but in living inside of our own skin and not looking outside of ourselves for things that we don’t have. Contentment means – having enough, trusting in God’s provisions and promises. True happiness in our lives comes from relationships, not things. And our most important relationship is the relationship that we have with God. Contentment is always inside of us Contentment never comes from the possession of external things. As George Herbert wrote: “For he that needs five thousand pounds to live Is full as poor as he that needs but five.” Contentment comes from an inward attitude to life One of the sayings of the Jewish Rabbis was: “Who is rich? He that is contented with his lot.” Most of us are content with what we have until we look around and see what others have. I AM REALLY CONTENT... I am really content — until I start looking through the Sears catalogue. I liked my car — until I saw the new P T Cruiser. I am satisfied with my clothes — until I stroll through American Eagle, or the other Mall stores. I love our home — until I think of what it would be like to own a log cabin on the shore of some remote lake. I am satisfied with every area of my life — until I start comparing with someone else’s life. I feel like I have enough of everything — until I see someone who has more. SOURCE: Rodney Buchanan in "An Attitude of Gratitude" on www.sermoncentral.com. If an egg is broken from the outside then life ends, if an egg is broken from the inside then life begins. Great things happen on the inside. True contentment comes from within ourselves. And we can only find it in our own heart. Someone pointed out that millionaires rarely smile – there is so much going on in their lives. We celebrated when a group of coworkers won the powerball. Now one of them is saying that he wished he could give the money back – his life has changed way too much. Charles Barclay – an old preacher says that the love of money is based on an illusion. Money Will Buy: A bed BUT NOT sleep. Books BUT NOT brains. Food BUT NOT appetite. Finery BUT NOT beauty. A house BUT NOT a home. Medicine BUT NOT health. Luxuries BUT NOT culture. Amusement BUT NOT happiness. A crucifix BUT NOT a Saviour. A church-pew BUT NOT heaven. Timothy’s mentor spends so much time trying to make sure that we know the difference between money and the love of money. Between being rich and being content. the difference goes back to making sure that you have a relationship with God. And making sure that all parts of our life are a part of that relationship with God. Paul says pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. He tells us to fight the good fight of faith. And in verses 17-19 Pauls stresses that there is nothing wrong with having money. As long as you trust God, do right, and put your relationship with God first. Paul is preparing Timothy for future service. He gives advice, but he also calls Timothy a man of God. That is a huge honor! Moses was called a Man of God, David was called a Man of God. But when we honor God, He honors us. When we respect God, he respects us. When we give to God, God gives to us. there is nothing wrong with money – when we understand that it carries with it a responsibility. . In the Third part of Henry the Sixth, Shakespeare draws a picture of the king wandering in the country places unknown. He meets two gamekeepers and tells them that he is a king. One of them asks him: “But, if thou be a king, where is thy crown?” And the king gives a great answer: “My crown is in my heart, not on my head; Not deck’d with diamonds and Indians stones, Nor to be seen; my crown is call’d content— A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy.” Contentment is not about what we have in our pocket, it is about what we have in our hearts. God’s failproof advice to us on getting rich – flee from those who mislead us, follow the ways of God, fight the good fight, be faithful to the truth, so that we can finish our race with God. I want to end with this prayer – on how to get rich – just listen PRAYER FOR GETTING RICH Lord, Source of all that is good, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Giver of awesome gifts and undeserved blessings, Help me to be rich. Shower me with enough That I will no longer worry my way through each day, But instead live in gratitude, Cherishing my utter abundance. Help me to have enough of this world's treasures That I may know the joy of sharing what I have, Spreading it around instead of holding on tight. Let me feel rich with wonder at the great mysteries, Receiving each day with anticipation Of the surprises you have in store for me. Remind me that my wealth is best measured In the love that I give and the love that I receive, And that what I own are small things compared to The splendor of the stars, the brightness of sunlight, The joy of music, the sweetness of food, And the glory of this amazingly beautiful world. Teach me, Lord, to be content, So that my heart may know peace even in lean times, And so that my laughter and my joy May add to the richness of those around me. And when it is time to leave this world, Let me go with a thankful heart, my Lord, Knowing that, through you, I have been rich indeed. Amen. --Timothy Haut, for September 29, 2013 Right on the Bull's-Eye Passage: 1 Timothy 6:11-21 • Lectionary: Proper 21 Item 6 of 9 | Back to Results But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Object: A target. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever used a bow and arrow? (Let them answer.) A lot of you have shot an arrow with a bow. How many of you have ever played the game of darts? (Let them answer.) Some of you have done this also. Now, when you use a bow or throw some darts, what do you aim at? (Let them answer.) That's right, a target. You need a target if you are going to shoot an arrow or throw a dart. Otherwise there would be no fun to it. What do you try to hit on the target? (Let them answer.) That's right. The bull's-eye. That is the most important point on the target. If you hit the bull's-eye then you have really done the job. That is the center of our target, and it means you have very good aim. The Bible tells us we should be aiming at some things also. The Bible teaches us that we should be aiming at the good things in life and not just at anything. If you are not aiming, then your shot might end up anywhere. For instance, the Bible tells us that we should try to aim at being gentle. How many of you know what being gentle means? (Let them answer.) What would the opposite of gentle be? (Let them answer.) I think that "rough" is probably the opposite of gentle. Would you like your mother to be rough with you or gentle? (Let them answer.) You want her to be gentle. We would like everyone to be gentle with us. And, of course, other people would like you and me to be gentle with them. Being gentle is in the target's bull's-eye. Another quality we find there is love. What is the opposite of love? (Let them answer.) The Bible says that we should aim at love and never hate. Loving other people and being loved is one of the very best things about life. These are just a couple things the Bible teaches us we should aim for in our lives. In the bull's-eye of the target is gentleness and love. We have to aim at the target. We may not always hit the bull's-eye, but if we are aiming at our target we will come much closer than if we forget to aim. The Apostle Paul gave this kind of advice to his young pastor friend, Timothy, and today I can pass it on to you. Try to think about doing right all day long. Think about it a lot and you will do what is right most of the time. That is what we call taking aim at the good things and having a good life. 1-55673-114-0 ¬¬¬¬¬¬ Long ago the Greek philosophers had gripped the right end of the matter. Epicurus said of himself: “To whom little is not enough nothing is enough. Give me a barley cake and a glass of water and I am ready to rival Zeus for happiness.” And when someone asked him for the secret of happiness, his answer was: “Add not to a man’s possessions but take away from his desires.” The great men have always been content with little. It pleads for the realization that it is never in the power of things to bring happiness. E. K. Simpson says: “Many a millionaire, after choking his soul with gold-dust, has died from melancholia.” Happiness always comes from personal relationships. All the things in the world will not make a man happy if he knows neither friendship nor love. The Christian knows that the secret of happiness lies, not in things, but in people. Two things alone a man can take to God. He can, and must, take himself; and therefore his great task is to build up a self he can take without shame to God. He can, and must, take that relationship with God into which he has entered in the days of his life. We have already seen that the secret of happiness lies in personal relationships, and the greatest of all personal relationships is the relationship to God. And the supreme thing that a man can take with him is the utter conviction that he goes to One who is the friend and lover of his soul. Content comes when we escape the servitude to things, when we find our wealth in the love and the fellowship of men, and when we realize that our most precious possession is our friendship with God, made possible through Jesus Christ. Money in itself is neither good nor bad; but the love of it may lead to evil. With it a man may selfishly serve his own desires; with it he may answer the cry of his neighbour’s need. With it he may facilitate the path of wrong-doing; with it he may make it easier for someone else to live as God meant him to do. Money is not itself an evil, but it is a great responsibility. It is powerful to good and powerful to evil. What then are the special dangers involved in the love of money?