How to Enjoy Wealth to the Glory of God

By Joe Rigney

Photo by Coinhako on Unsplash

Wealth is good, and wealth is dangerous. So says the Bible. But how do we use our wealth to glorify God? First Timothy 6:17–19 is one of the clearest and best passages that addresses our use of wealth.

Paul’s exhortation is to “the rich in this present age.” And what does he say? He begins with three “charges.”

Three Charges to the Wealthy

First, “don’t be haughty.” It’s easy for the rich to think they’re somebody; to think, My right arm has gotten me this wealth (Deut. 8:17). Wealth and haughtiness often go hand in hand. There’s a smug satisfaction that creeps in and lords our riches over others. And so, Paul’s first word to the rich is, “Don’t boast! Don’t puff yourself up in your riches.”

Second, don’t set your hope on the uncertainty of riches. It’s easy for wealthy people to think their strength comes from their wealth and not from Christ.

Our riches are uncertain because we can’t take them with us (1 Tim. 6:7). All the wealth in the world won’t keep us from dying. It’s not wrong to be rich, but, Paul says, to desire to be rich, to crave wealth is a deep temptation, a snare, and all kinds of evil flow from it (1 Tim. 6:9–10).

Third, instead of setting your hope on riches, set it on God. There’s a clear contrast here. Unlike riches, God isn’t uncertain or unstable. Moth and rust don’t destroy him; thieves can’t steal him from you. You can take God with you out of this world. Indeed, he will never leave you nor forsake you, in this life or the next.

The love of God is the root of all sorts of goodness, and to crave him brings the deepest and most lasting joy (Ps. 16:11).

Four Purposes for Wealth

The first purpose might surprise us. Paul tells the rich that God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (v. 17). Personally, that’s not what I would’ve expected Paul to say to the rich (“Enjoy what God gives you!”). Nonetheless, he says it. So the question becomes, how do you enjoy what God richly provides without setting your hope on the uncertainty of riches?

The other three purposes of wealth help clarify how we can enjoy what God has provided without setting our hope on it. The next three purposes are: (2) “to do good,” (3) “to be rich in good works,” and (4) “to be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim. 6:18).

The accent of this passage is on the generosity that overflows from our enjoyment. How do we test whether we’re enjoying God’s gifts rightly? Answer: by our generosity. If wealth comes to us and we’re enjoying it, but it’s not spilling the banks and flooding the lives of others, then something has gone wrong in our souls.

The movement is something like this: God lavishly gives us a gift. We receive it. We enjoy it with thanksgiving, acknowledging God as the Giver. This thanksgiving spills over into worship, since we know that as good as the gift is, it’s just a taste of his goodness. And then satisfied with God and enjoying his provision, our lives becomes a tidal wave of generosity—eager to do good, on the lookout for needs and ready with openhanded and bighearted generosity.

Our goal is this—we want to be as generous with others as God has been with us.

Promise of Eternal Wealth

Paul concludes with a promise. When those of us who are rich set our hope on God, enjoy his provision, and then use our wealth to meet needs through generosity, Paul tells us we’re storing up heavenly treasure and taking hold of life (1 Tim. 6:19).

Article excerpt taken from The Gospel Coalition (U.S. Edition). Read the full resource here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/enjoy-wealth-glory