It’s not ours to keep
In 1 Timothy 6, Paul writes all about wealth. He writes about building wealth, managing wealth, and enjoying wealth. He describes the many things we can do with wealth. But he begins with the one thing we cannot do with wealth. We can’t keep it.
We know this. We know that we can’t take it with us when we die. Paul writes,
“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it, either.” (1 Timothy 6:7)1
This is not a new idea. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon writes all about wealth. He was the richest man on the planet. Yet, the end result was still the same. He writes,
“As he came naked from his mother’s womb, so he will return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.” (Ecclesiastes 5:15)
Job was also rich. And then, suddenly, he wasn’t. He responded by saying,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21b NIV)
Wealth-holding is not permanent because we are not permanent. Even while we live, wealth can disappear at any time. In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul describes wealth as “uncertain.” This Greek word means that it “has the quality of disappearing.”2
Jesus points this out, too. He explains that “thieves break in and steal” and “moth and rust destroy” (Matthew 6:19). Markets crash. Lawsuits take it. Governments confiscate it. Companies go bankrupt. The list goes on.
Wealth is unreliable. It’s uncertain. Solomon explains,
“When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.” (Proverbs 23:5)
Wisdom in wealth management begins with one simple reality. Our wealth-holding is temporary. It will end. Often, it ends abruptly. We may have wealth, but that’s only for the moment.
This creates some urgency. A person with wealth has an attractive opportunity, but it’s temporary. Paul describes those with wealth as being rich “at this opportune moment.”3 We can control wealth, but only for a moment. That moment will vanish. Either our wealth will disappear, or we will.
This means that now is the right moment for decision. Now is the time to plan. Now is the time to choose. What will we do with the things God has richly provided? What will we do with our temporary wealth?
What we can do with wealth: Four options
What is wealth? It’s the accumulation. Wealth is not income. Many have high income but build no wealth. Others buy low, sell never, and have wealth but little income. Wealth is rarely cash. It’s usually assets like stocks, bonds, business interests, and real estate.
Accumulating extra means having more than enough. It’s more than enough to cover our regular, expected living expenses (like food, clothing, and shelter) beyond our regular, expected income. It’s not for normal living expenses. It’s extra.
What can we do with this extra? There are only four options: BINGE, BURY, TOIL, or ENJOY. We can:
- Binge with excess consumption or wild living.
- Bury the wealth and die with it.
- Toil ceaselessly to bury even more.
- Enjoy it. (Solomon, Jesus, and Paul explain how.)
Those are the options. Those are all the options. That’s it. These options appear in Solomon’s writings. They appear in Jesus’ teachings. They appear in Paul’s discussion of wealth in 1 Timothy 6.
Given these options, enjoying it is the obvious choice. Enjoyment is attractive. It’s even more attractive when compared with the other options. These other choices are not just second best. They’re actually pretty awful. They lead to a poor life experience.
For more on this topic, see Chapter 2 in