INVESTMENT FOR ETERNITY

1 Timothy 6:1-21

Wednesday, 20 August 2025

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.-1Timothy 6:18-19

In our text today, Apostle Paul addresses several issues—dishonoring masters, following false doctrines, running after ungodly gains, creating strife and contentions, the craving to get rich—all arising in this church at Ephesus.  The love of money which Paul refers to as “a root of all kinds of evil” had led people to wander away from faithand brought much sorrow on themselves. Instead he gives them a maxim in 1 Tim.6:6- “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” He further instructs them to flee from all these things and instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness and be rich in good works thus storing up for themselves a good investment for the future- eternity. That is quality life lived on the earth!

We can focus our priorities to store up a good foundation for the future. In this we can follow Christ Himself, who said He came to serve.

First we Serve Christ- Jesus said: “No one is able to serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and he will love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and he will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and mammon (money) (Matt. 6:24).  If your priority is to amass money, you will become a slave to it. Instead of fixing one’s hope in the uncertainty of riches, Paul says fix your hope on God who supplies all things to enjoy (V.17).

Secondly we Serve others- In serving others, we demonstrate our service to Christ. Matthew 25:35-40 speaks of being Christ’s hands in extending right help to those underprivileged and cast-aways. Christ concluded: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me…’ Thus we have the instruction to do good and be rich in good works! Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Thirdly, we Give to be a Blessing- Open hearts and hands are needed for a believer.  Paul says in Acts 20:35: “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.“ In Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” Then comes the promise in Hebrew 6:10: God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers. 

Dear brethren: It would do us well to take heed to the warning given by Jesus in The Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:13-21 who hoarded wealth for himself and thought he could take life easy; “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” Jesus concluded: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Let’s learn to do good and be generous through Christ! Then we are surely investing a treasure for eternity!

Promise: Jesus said: “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each person according to what he has done.”-Jesus Christ (Revelation 22:12)