John Stott, in his exposition of 1 Timothy and Titus called Guard the Truth, said that “possessions are only the traveling luggage of time; they are not the stuff of eternity. It would be sensible therefore to travel light.”
As a man who is fully devoted to vocational ministry I am well aware that I will most likely not have everything I desire in this life. I will probably never drive a BMW. I will probably never have more than three or four bedrooms in my apartment/condo/house (though all I really want is two bathrooms). I will probably never be completely free from manageable debt.
But that’s okay.
Yesterday I had a conversation with my boss and my wife. We were discussing how disappointing my family’s month of June has gone. We are nervously awaiting the renewal of our visa, which expires at the beginning of August, but on top of that our monthly wire transfer of £1000 (about $1600) was not received by our bank in America. This means that we may miss (for the first time) the due date on our mortgage. And on top of that, our tenant, who was leasing our condo in Orlando, has moved out, leaving us with the entirety of our mortgage payment. But as I reflected with my boss on our troubling situation, I said, “You know the money part is really the least of my worries. I’ve learned that money comes and goes, so there’s no point worrying about it.”
It’s true that we shouldn’t be frivolous with our money. We should invest it wisely and spend it carefully, for we did not receive it of our own merit but only by the grace of God. But, at the same time, we can’t take any of it with us when we die. I resonate with Stott’s feelings toward money and riches. Why carry around heaps of possessions when this life is so short?
This reminded me of a few of my travel experiences. Especially when I’m flying somewhere, I always find it more stressful when I pack heavy and have two heavy carry-on items. When we moved over to the UK last August, I really had no choice. But it was such a burden to carry so much luggage around the aiports and airplanes. Packing light may mean I will miss out on a few things, but it also seems like my attitude is much better.
So, as I reflect on 1 Timothy 6:3-10, I realize that we must be content in our situations no matter what. I sometimes fantasize that I have somehow come across a great inheritance or winning lottery ticket, which frees me from all my debt and ensures complete financial freedom for the rest of my life. But what I really need to meditate on is that the ultimate debt that I owe has been paid in full on the cross.
I leave you with a great poem that Phil Ryken includes in this section of his 1 Timothy Expositional Commentary. It is a poem that Charles Swindoll once quoted from a teenager he had met:
It was Spring, but it was Summer I wanted;
The warm days and the great outdoors
It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted;
The colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.
It was Fall, but it was Winter I wanted;
The beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.
I was a child, and it was adulthood I wanted;
The freedom and the respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted;
To be mature and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted;
The youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle-aged I wanted;
The presence of mind without limitations.
My life was over,
and I never got what I wanted.
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