God’s Economy – “Cliff Notes” (part 2)

If you recall we are looking at First Timothy 6:17-19. This passage is a Cliff Note's version of what God's economy is all about. We can literally peal this passage apart phrase by phrase and uncover 8 components of God's Economy. This provides a great starting point for understanding God's economy.

In our last post we were reminded that we are rich (like it or not) and these verses are written to us. We saw that we are instructed "not to be conceited" vs. 17. Our money is God's and we have no right to be proud.

Paul next warns us "not to fix our hope on the uncertainly of riches". Don't trust money, trust God.

Then in very carefully written words with a very carefully placed phrase, we are reminded "God richly supplies us with all things to enjoy" (vs. 17). We should enjoy our God given blessings.

But there is more than what we saw in our last post. Verse 18 says "Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works". First Timothy is definitely written to believers. God's economy is not for unbelievers. Once Christ is Lord and Savior of our lives we must use our money to do good works.

Right after Paul makes it clear in Ephesians 2:8,9 that we are saved by grace through faith and not of works, he says in Ephesians 2:10 : we are …created in Christ Jesus unto good works… As true Christians, we will do good works. (James 2:17). And quite frankly good works can cost money. It may cost us money to invite someone over for dinner, replace a broken vacuum cleaner at church, or take a month off from work to take a missions trip.

Then Paul gets a little more specific about doing good works. The next phrase is "be generous and ready to share" (vs. 18). I believe God will bless us with money (over and above meeting our needs) for one of three reasons. They are: to save for the future (vs. 19); to enjoy (vs. 17) or to share with someone else (vs.18). Yes, a big part of God's economy is sharing with others in need. God may bless us because He trusts us to channel that blessing to someone else with a greater need. What a privilege when God puts us in that place of responsibility.

Next Paul says "storing up the treasure of a good foundation for the future" (vs. 19). God wants us to save (not hoard Ecclesiastes 5:13). Remember that God works in a different time frame than we do (2 Peter 3:8). He may know our car is going to break down next month and He may be blessing us today to meet that need.

And lastly in this passage Paul sums up his Cliff Notes version of God's economy by saying "take hold of that which is life indeed" (vs. 19). Living by God's economy gives us an eternal perspective of our money. Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our minds on eternal things and not earthly things. How we handle our money should all be done with an eternal focus.

So if you don't have the time to search the Bible and read the 2,000 plus verses about how we should handle our money and possessions, start by reading the bold type above. You will have basically read First Timothy 6:17-19 and be well on your way to understanding God's economy.