The Big Mistake

1 Timothy 6:6-10

Do you want to make a difference?

To make a difference for God, you don’t need anythingmore than what you already have.

To be content, ifyou have Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you don’t need anything else (Heb13:5-6). You have enough.

To learn moreabout how to be content with a little and make a big difference for God, let’stalk about the big mistake many Christians make so you can avoid it. When youmake this mistake, you ruin your chances of making a maximum difference in theworld for God.

Your life is not a computer game.

In a computergame, you can do whatever you want. If you lose, die, or run out of lives, itdoesn’t really matter because you can always start again.

God only bringsyou into the world one time, and what you do with that time really matters. Ifyou die, it’s over. You can’t go back and do it again.

So let’s dothis. Let’s envision our lives like a game. Let’s discover a big mistake thatwe make in real life that holds us back from making a maximum difference forGod.

Let’s practice!

Imagine two containersin front of you, one labeled “nice” and the other “need.”

As you gothrough life, you have to make choices. For many of those choices, you mustdecide if something is nice or a need. Is it a “nicer thing of life” or “necessary for life?”

If you chooseright and put things in the right containers, you’ll win the game and positionyourself to make a difference for God. If you choose wrongly and put things inthe wrong containers, you’ll make decisions that damage your effectiveness forGod in serious ways.

What makes thistricky is that most of these things aren’t wrong by themselves. They’re onlywrong if you put them in the wrong containers.

Let’s practice. I’ll name some things, then you tell me which container to put them in. Which of the following things is a need and which is nice?

• A Car
• Alaskan Cruise
• Bible Study
• Cable Television
• Church Involvement
• Clothing
• Daily Prayer
• Disney Vacation
• Food
• Gospel Outreach
• Gym Membership
• Health Insurance
• Home Ownership
• Housing
• iPhone 11
• Organic Food
• Sports Car
• University Education

Why are some ofthese items easy to label, while others are difficult?

Why is it so important to make the right choice when noneof these choices are sinful?

To answer thisquestion, let’s hear something Paul told Timothy in a letter he wrote called “1Timothy.” This letter was something like an “instruction manual” for pastors.

In some placesin the letter, Paul told Timothy how to be a good pastor. In other places, he toldhim what to teach the people he pastored.

1 Timothy 6:6-9is like that. In these verses, Paul gave instructions to pastors about whatkind of instructions to give to you, the people in the pew.

Theseinstructions tell us why it’s important to make the right choices when we’redeciding what is a “need” and what is “nice.”

“Godliness” isthe first category of “things” in life (1 Tim 6:6).

Godliness is living a God-centered, God-focused life, God-dependent life. Itis learning all you can about God, developing a close relationship with him,and letting your knowledge and relationship with him transform the kind ofdecisions you make.

“Riches” is thesecond category of “things” (1Tim 6:9).

Riches refers to having lots of wealth, which is a steady stream of moreand more money and of the things and experiences that money can buy. Thesethings are not wrong, but they’re not necessary either. They’re just optional,okay, and nice.

So what about foodand clothing?

Things likedaily prayer, Bible study, and church involvement obviously fit into the“necessary” category since godliness is a necessary value in our lives. Godwants us to be close to him and become like him. That’s why you exist, andthat’s why he saved you.

But what about thingslike food and clothing? Is it wrong to want those things, too?

Paul says that food and clothing are also necessary (1 Tim 6:8). Not because they’re godly, but because we need them to live – and if you can’t live, you can’t be godly!

If you can’t live, you can’t be godly!

Don’t viewthese things as only “food and water.” They’re probably synecdoche,which is a fancy word that means that part of something represents the wholething.

In this case,“food” and “water”represent what you might call the necessities of life.This “group of things” varies by culture and society. In NYC, for instance, youneed food and water, but you need housing and health insurance, too, and maybea car.

That’s where “withcontentment” comes in (1 Tim 6:6). Contentment means “being satisfied with your current situation.”It’s an attitude that doesn’t need anything else from the world to be happy.You have the necessities of life and you are able to focus on God. That’s allyou need and you’re totally happy with that. Does that describe you today?

Here’s whatreal prosperity is all about.

Real prosperity is not getting as much money and resources as possible. It’s learning how to identify and satisfy your basic needs so you can live for God and serve others more. That’s real gain! That’s getting ahead!

Real prosperity is learning how to identify and satisfy your basic needs so you can live for God and serve others more.

Why is thisimportant? Because you didn’t bring anything into this world when you wereborn, and it’s obvious that you can’t take anything out of it either (1 Tim6:7).

In fact, youcan only take three thing(s) from this world into forever is (1) a relationshipwith God, (2) people you’ve helped in their relationship with God, and (3) whateveryou’ve done for God with the things he gave you.

Jesus said it,too!

Yes, Paul isrepeating what Jesus already said about accumulating wealth in this life:

“Do not lay upfor yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and wherethieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in andsteal” (Matt 6:19-20).

When youaccumulate earthly wealth beyond your needs, it always goes away. That’s whyyou should pursue godliness instead because godliness never goes away. It eventurns into treasures and wealth of some kind in God’s eternal kingdom! (I’m notsure how that works exactly, but it’s true!)

Make godliness your number one priority, not in theory,but in practice.

Jesus said tomake godliness (God and his priorities) our number one goal. Everything we doshould focus on that. That’s why anything that’s “godliness” should go into the“need” bucket. You need as much godliness as you can get!

“Seek first the kingdom of God and Hisrighteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt 6:33).

If you makechoices to pursue godliness first of all, then God will provide all your otherneeds, even food and clothing. If you make God’s priorities your priorities, he makes your basicneeds his priority. You won’t have to worry about those things atall.

So, here’s the problemwith everything else.

By “everythingelse,” I mean “riches.” I’m mean everything that isn’t either “godliness” or anecessity to be alive, like food, clothing, housing, or health insurance.

“Everythingelse,” “riches,” or “the nicer things of life” includes things like owning ahouse, taking a Disney vacation, getting a university education, or upgradingto an iPhone 11.

Here’s the problem with these things. They aren’t automatically wrong, and God may give you some of them. And if he does, you should enjoy them and not feel guilty (1 Tim 6:17).

The problem is not having them but wanting them – wanting them so badly that you treat them like a need.

The problem is not having them but wantingthem – wanting them so badly that you treat them like a need. You believe and feel you need them to be happy, satisfied, andfulfilled in this life. That’s when you have a problem.

What happenswhen you feel you need these things to be happy?

When you mistakenlyput these things in the “need” bucket instead of the “nice” bucket, then youdisplace God and his priorities, pushing necessary things into the “nice”bucket.

This approachtreats God and his priorities as optional and nice while treating nice andoptional things as necessary. When you do this, it’s deceptive because thesethings are not inherently bad. It doesn’t seem wrong when you’re gettingstarted.

Sad and bad things happen when you make the nice thingsof life your priority.

When you makethe nicer things of life your top priority, it feels like you’re upgrading yourstandard of living and making real progress in the world. It feels like God isblessing you. You’re getting more money, experiencing more things, and accumulatingmore resources.

Yet all of thisis nothing more than bait on a trap. That’s how 1 Tim 6:9 describes it.

• First, you fall into something, likea pit (Matt 12:11), a ditch (Lk 6:39), an ambush (Lk10:36), or a booby trap that drops a net on you or hoists you into the air (1Tim 6:9). You become like a hunted animal caught in a trap that is hard orimpossible to escape.
• Then, you develop new desires forthings that are stupid and foolish. You evendevelop strong cravings for things that will cause pain and damage in your life(1 Tim 6:9). Your initial, innocent desires for things that are nice will turninto new and unintelligent desires for things that will hurt you.
• At last, you’ll “sink in the deep end.” Wasteful spending and destructive habits suck the life out of you,leaving you helpless, unhealthy, and maybe even dead (1 Tim 6:9).

Making the nice things of life your priority is a form ofspiritual suicide.

That’s why Paulsays that “some have strayed from the faith.” He probably had some people inmind and Timothy knew who they were.

They once claimed to follow Christ but were seduced like a mouse lured into a trap with cheese, or like the children in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang lured by the child-catcher into a cage. They followed their desires for the nice things of life instead of God’s priorities and they impaled themselves (“piercing themselves through”) with many sorrows.

They followed their desires for the nice things of life instead of God’s priorities and they impaled themselves

In ancient history, kings and soldiers would killthemselves by falling on their swords. They did thiswhen they knew they lost a battle and would be captured or killed by the enemy.

King Saul didthis (1 Sam 31:4). Samuel warned that he would lose the battle, but he foughtanyway, believing he would win. When he realized he was defeated, he fell onthe very sword he first believed would bring success.

1 Tim 6:10, however,doesn’t describe an actual, physical suicide (though it may in some cases). Itdescribes spiritual, emotional, and mental suicide, the pain, anguish,loneliness, and remorse of making the nicer things of life your priority. Thethings you thought would bring you success and happiness bring you heartache,loneliness, and pain.

This happens inmany ways.

Here’s whatthis slow march to spiritual suicide looks like at various stages of life:

• The college student who slipsaway from church for education and lucrative career, or for quick money and alife of pleasure. He loses his sensitivity to God, makes bad friends, and feelstoo ashamed to return to church and his Christian friends.
• The single professional,freelancer, or entrepreneur who leaves Christ in the background, attending onrare occasions when convenient. She focuses on accumulating money, travelingthe world, climbing the corporate ladder, and enjoying as many experiences aspossible. She ends up with no real friends, joy, or satisfaction.
• The young married couplewho’s too busy for God. They’re working overtime to buy a house and prepare forchildren (or maybe they don’t want any children). Rather than foster a closerelationship with God and each other, serving Christ together at church and intheir home, they lose touch with God and each other. Sometimes they lose theirmarriage before children come.
• The married couple with childrenwho continues to be too busy for God. They don’t have time for church-relatedactivities, or for studying the Bible and praying on their own. They’re workinghard to give their children the best life possible from a money and thingsperspective. They figure they’ll have time for God when the children grow up.They grow distant from each other and damage their physical health. They raisechildren with no desire for God and who are more materialistic than theirparents.
• The senior/retired couplewhose children moved away. They’re trying the see a few sights and get a fewmore things in before health fails them. When they attend church, they feeldisconnected and unwanted. They don’t know how to be useful, and they cling totheir money and resources so tightly that they cannot be a blessing to theirchurch or others in need. Eventually, their health deteriorates, and they can’tdo much of anything. They sit at home, in the nursing home, or at the hospitalwith no one to visit them, very few memories of doing anything for God, and thepain of knowing they can’t go back and do it over again. Their money providesthem with little comfort and their children are far away from God. They’veimpaled themselves on their sword.

Here are otherways that the trap of money and “nice things” lure people away from God.

• The businessman who decides togo for promotions and higher salaries, but neglects his family, and loses theirlove and affection.
• The couple who emigrates to theUnited States for “religious freedom” and “financial opportunity,” to “givetheir kids a better future.” But years after they arrive, they realize thattheir children don’t care about their family or culture, or – most importantly– their God. They’re interested in the money and pleasures the U.S. offers.
• A stay-at-home wife who’salways buying new furniture, redecorating her home, or shopping for all sortsof things she doesn’t need, salving her conscience because she buys “on sale.”Meanwhile, she neglects to tithe, give to others in need, or serve in herchurch since her desire for things has made her insensitive to others.
• A small business ownerwho gives people bad deals, doesn’t report his income, and violates tax laws toget ahead. In the end, he loses everything he gained when the IRS audits hisrecords and his clients move on to other providers, leaving him with a house, abuilding, and equipment he can’t afford – and no real friends.
• The dreamer and visionary whogambles to make a fortune, hoping never to work again. He’s always chasing hislatest “great idea,” only to keep on plunging deeper into debt. He wastes hisresources and loses the trust of his friends.

People likethis make wrong priority choices. Though they didn’t necessarily sin at first,they put “godliness” in the “nice” category and the nicer things of life in the“need” category. In the end, they impaled themselves.

They thoughtthey were being clever, doing what was necessary at the moment to get ahead.They didn’t realize that they were being lured into a slow and deadly trap,instead.

It’s not toolate.

Like Paulwarned Timothy, and like Timothy was to warn the Christians he pastored, I’mwarning you – don’t make this big mistake. It’s tempting and subtle, but deadlyin the end.

• As you look at a new year ahead, areyou putting the right things into the right buckets?
• Are you properly identifying yourbasic needs and making godly priorities your focus?
• Are you treating godly priorities asoptional and focusing on nicer things as needs?

If you realizethat you’ve been lured into the trap and that you’re putting too much priorityon the nicer things of life and not enough on godliness, then here’s what youshould do:

• Sit down with your spouse (if you’re married), your parents (if you’rea teen), or another Christian friend (if you’re something else!).
• Scan your spending habits, your lifestyle, and your priorities.
• Makesome tough choices. Look for ways to give God a greaterpriority in your weekly schedule and in your buying, spending, and givinghabits.

As you do these things, do them prayerfully. Depend on God to give you wisdom and be prepared to make some changes. When you do, I encourage you to share those changes with other believers at church so they can cheer you on and pray for you to follow through.