“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness. May God’s grace be with you all.”
“Please clear the table,” I said to my six year-old son. “Please include the glasses,” I found myself saying 2 minutes later. “And the ketchup….and the salt….and the pepper.” That was how I used to give directions, but I found that frustrating. So we came up with a new system. My directions became more thorough: “Clean up the table…everything on the table….even the stuff that isn’t yours on the table…yes, everything on the table…” But if the directions took too long, I knew that I’d typically lose my son’s attention. So they would end with a simple summary: “Wesley. Clear. Table. Now.”
Paul also often closes a letter by summarizing his main point as briefly as possible. In these few final verses, he captures the main themes of this letter: wealth, truth, foolish talk, and grace in almost the exact opposite order that he originally made the points (which is exactly how my seventh grade English teacher said a closing paragraph should be constructed). In short: wealth isn’t as trustworthy as God, so live your life depending on God not money. That will eventually put you in a place of leadership, and when you lead avoid foolish discussions that distract from the main point: faith (trust) in Jesus.
Here’s your freedom for today: God wants to speak to you through the books of the Bible. Individual verses and phrases of the Bible are wonderful to remember because they can capture an idea that God is impressing on our minds and hearts. Don’t forget, however, that God inspired the Bible to be written in larger chunks than that – whole letters, multi-volume historical accounts, biographies, and collections of poetry among other things. Some of God’s most profound lessons are found not in a single verse or even a chapter. They are found in the flow of thought that carries through one of these letters or biographies or poetic compilations. The Bible may take work to read and understand. That’s ok. God’s truth and wisdom are there, ready to be found, for anyone who takes the time to find it.