If you have a look at the world’s stock markets over the past century, you will know exactly what the apostle Paul meant! They have gone up and down. Money is completely unreliable. The downs have often been dramatic and have led to misery for millions of people. The 1920s were a time of huge economic expansion. They were known as the Roaring Twenties and saw the advance of many technological innovations in radio, automobile, aviation and telephone. However, the growth was unsustainable, and in the Great Crash of 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 40 per cent, leading to the deep economic depression of the 1930s which caused incredible misery right around the world.

More recently, the crashes of 1987 and 2008 saw massive losses on the stock markets with huge implications for the world economy. Paul wasn’t telling Timothy that it was wrong to have money, but that it was ridiculous to place your trust in it. It simply isn’t reliable.

Only God is completely trustworthy, so Paul’s advice to rich people was to use their money to do good. He didn’t tell them to get rid of it but encouraged them to be rich in good works and generous to those in need. In that way, they would show that their faith was in God and not in their wealth.

If you have great wealth, you should give thanks to God but ensure you never allow it to win your trust and devotion. These are such wise words for our money-mad society, in which we are continually fed the lie that a win on the lottery would put smiles on our faces and solve all our problems. We need to keep our eyes fixed on God, who alone has the power to give us all that we need for our enjoyment. Whether we have lots of money or very little, we can find fulfilment and joy if our lives are focused on God.

How has Paul’s teaching challenged your own thinking about money?

Lord God, help me to rely upon you completely, and never to place my trust in money and possessions. Amen