Flourishing as Living Truly

Scripture — 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NRSV)

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Devotion

In two earlier devotions this week (Monday, Tuesday), I explored how we can flourish by living richly. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 shows us that this isn’t a matter of greed or selfish pleasure. Rather, we live richly as we give richly. We are “to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share” (v. 18).

Paul, the author of 1 Timothy, could have stopped right there. What he describes in verse 18 are surely appropriate ways of responding to God “who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (v. 17). What God gives us in material wealth, not to mention everything else, should be used for the good of others. This is clear from many passages of Scripture, such as the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). But, in fact, Paul goes on to note some of the benefits for the people who live richly by giving richly. He writes, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life” (vv. 18-19).

First, those who are rich in good works and generous will be “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future” (v. 19). By giving away some of their wealth, they will be adding to their future “treasure.” This does not mean that we can earn our way into Heaven through our works of generosity. It does suggest, however, that when we share our wealth freely in this age, we are adding to our rewards in the age to come. Given that we live in the instant gratification ethos of contemporary culture, we may not give much thought to our future treasure. But, as we’ll see in a moment, the rewards of generosity are not just in the future. They are also something we experience in the present day.

Second, those who are rich in good works and generous will be enabled to “take hold of the life that really is life” (v. 19). “The life that really is life!” What a striking phrase! The underlying Greek reads literally, “that they might take hold of the truly life.” Thus, the CEB translates “the truly life” as “what is truly life.” The NLT has “so that they may experience true life.”

What is the life that truly is life? Well, for one thing, it is not a matter of accumulating lots of wealth. A few verses earlier in 1 Timothy 6, we read:

But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains (6:9-10).

We might be tempted to think that the best life is something experienced only by the rich. But, on the contrary, many who are rich miss out on the best life because they love money so much that they walk away from God. They are too possessed by their own possessions, too greedy to experience the life-giving joy of generosity.

Those who are “rich in good works, generous and ready to share,” however, will “take hold of the life that really is life” (v. 19). They’ll experience the joy of generosity. They’ll find ultimate meaning, not in how much they have, but in how much they can give to others.

As I have written before, even those who have little in the way of financial assets can experience the “true life” of giving. Though the amount they give may be small, the joy they feel can be large. Also, they can know that, according to Jesus, their giving amounts to more than the giving of those who give large amounts without personal sacrifice (see Mark 12:41-44). Furthermore, they can give by serving others with their actions in addition to or instead of their financial gifts. I think, for example, of a dear friend of my family who has little in the way of financial resources. But when we invite her to a party, not only does she bring something delicious to eat, but she is also eager to help with the logistics. I think of her as an exceptionally generous person, even though her generosity does not take the form of substantial financial gifts.

When, through our generous giving, we “take hold of the life that really is life,” we flourish. Yes, we flourish in our personal experience of well-being. We flourish as we feel the joy of helping others. And we also flourish in that we are bearing fruit. From the very beginning, true life has been a matter of making a difference that matters in the world (Gen 1:28). Whether through our work or our giving, our kindness or our prayers, when we serve others and contribute to the well-being of the world, we flourish.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: A Businessman’s Perspective on Work in the Bible.