On Servants
Paul begins the last chapter of his first letter to Timothy with instructions on being a servant (1 Timothy 6:1-2). I doubt if many people reading this missive have servants. Perhaps you might be a servant, but who knows.
Paul takes a similar theme as Christ did (Luke 12:43-47) or indeed as Christ exhibited in John 13:1-17. In our own lives, if we aren't actual servants or masters, then substitute employees, supervisors, and company owners instead, and you'll find it applies to you as well.
Paul said that everyone who is in a servant or employee role work hard so the name of Christ and His religion Christianity would be seen as a good thing. The hope being that if you worked hard and did what you were supposed to do, people would recognize that and realize you are a Christian and begin to look up to Christianity as something with merit.
Paul goes on to say that it doesn't matter if your supervisor or boss or master is a Christian or not. You still owe them service and respect. Having a Christian as a master doesn't change your relationship in employment. You are equal in Christ and in His church, but it doesn't carry weight any where else. God may bless both master and servant in that situation to lift up the name of Christ.
On Consenting to Christ's Teaching
In 1 Timothy 6:3-5, Paul warns of those who know what Christ has said but who fail to put the commands into practice. He declares the foundational principles and doctrines of the church to be sound. If a person can't agree with the basics, then it boils down to a pride of thinking himself or herself to be greater than Christ, which of course would be impossible. There is much strife and many questions and debates over things in scripture now and over the centuries. Sometimes, the lawless individuals go far afield and start proposing things that are completely against what the Bible says. The disputes turn perverse, and men's minds are corrupted by such beliefs.
It is clear from the rest of the chapter that one of the issues the church was having was people equating getting richer with meaning that the beliefs that person held must be somehow better than the other beliefs that were established on Christ's teaching. Has that ever been true in history?
Frequently, it seems to me, that the richer people get the farther away from God they seem to be. There are exceptions to all blanket statements and so it is here. But just as Jesus gave the parable of the camel that had to be unladen to fit through the city wall, even so many who find themselves wealthy tend to fall away from God (Matthew 19:23-24; Luke 12:16-21; Revelation 3:14-18).
Paul's command was to turn away from people like that. So many today want to draw closer to rich people in power hoping that some of it will fall their way. Don't be deceived. The sickness that comes with riches hasn't changed since Adam and Eve's time and it won't change in the future.
If you are well off, or suddenly become wealthy by winning the lottery or something, remember these verses. You can do great things for the church and for God and for your fellow man and still have plenty of money left over for yourself and your family. Many wealthy people plan to give lots of money away to other wealthy people's foundations once they're dead and don't need it anymore. How much better to spread the wealth around more in salaries and bonus to all the people below you while you're alive so you can enjoy the difference you've made in their lives! Remember Luke 12:48 where Christ notes that those who are given much will have much required of them.
How to Be Content
1 Timothy 6:6-8 declares what Paul has found to be the true source of contentment. Being godly and being content is seen as a huge benefit to his eyes. He notes that we came into the world naked, and we'll leave to our eternal destination of heaven or hell with nothing we've gotten in this world.
For Paul, having clothing to wear and food to eat was sufficient. Of course his life was that of an itinerant evangelist, going from town to town. For him many possessions would have been a burden as U-Haul was literally you haul back then!
Every person has different requirements. Someone in the military who must move from base to base might be served by having few possessions as well. As we gain a wife or husband and have children, the needs do tend to increase. But it is important to be satisfied and content with what you have. If you're always trying to measure yourself against your neighbors, family, or co-workers, you'll always find someone who is better off than you and you'll never be happy. Many things can be a trap. It took a moving van to move me the last time I had to move, and stuff has increased since then.
Find a peaceful balance. Don't overextend your finances to try to measure up to someone else. It isn't worth it in the long run. There is value in owning and not renting, whether you are looking at furniture or a house. The numbers will determine the final merits, along with how long you plan to stay where you are at.
But don't be stressed about stuff. Eventually, you're going to die or go in the rapture and it will all be someone else's problem. Hopefully, they won't be cursing you for not downsizing and holding your own garage sales before that time comes.
Dangers of Riches
The next portion, 1 Timothy 6:9-10 speaks once again of the dangers of wealth. Paul warns that those who seek to become rich fall into the temptations of lust, envy, pride, and a few other sins. They can get so caught up in wanting more or the latest and greatest version of X that they lose out with God and an eternal future.
It isn't that things are bad. Money itself is just a thing. It doesn't have any feelings or need to be. It simply is. But the love of money to the exclusion of love of God and others is a real issue. I'm reminded of the rich young ruler who wanted to know how to have eternal life. He told Christ he had followed the commandments since his youth. Christ told him to sell all he had and give the proceeds to the poor, and he went away sorrowful (Luke 18:18-25 again).
The family has done relatively well over the years, but just about anyone living in the United States can say that compared to most of the world. I had help from my wife and both sets of parents. God has always provided enough to meet the bills and have all that we needed in one way or another. Wants are different than needs. And I try to return what is His and also give gifts and some time and effort beyond returning what is already due Him to support His work and do a very small part to try to spread the Gospel.
I give God thanks for all He's done and know that His hand has provided and protected many times over, both financially and just in life with health problems, driving dangers that He saw us through or helped us avoid. I suspect that when we get to heaven we will see just how much He has intervened and protected us throughout our entire lives. I know that if I had listened better, things would have been even better. It's only with His help that I will make it through the many years ahead.
Sometimes I think it might be nice to win a big lottery prize - not necessarily the jackpot as I think that would be too much pressure - but something that would ensure my family would be taken care of through their years. But this verse is a warning to everyone. You can be rich and be a fantastic Christian, helping God's work and making a difference in His church and in the world around you. But it is all to easy for riches to warp what started out to be a decent person. Be wary of what you pray for.
No matter how rich you are, if you lose out on Christianity and end up in hell, the few years on easy street won't have been worth it. Eternity is like a geometric ray, starting the day you were born, and extending forever in one direction. Your life span on Earth from birth to death is the tiniest line segment just at the start. Don't give up the rest of that ray just for some temporal pleasure.
How to Live
Paul recommends in 1 Timothy 6:11-16 that Timothy flee the desire for riches and follow after godliness. He wanted all of the fruit of the Spirit to well up in Timothy and grow daily.
He encouraged him to not give up the fight. I'm sure there were many times that Satan tempted Paul to give up the fight, to not go to that next town where he was likely to be stoned or beaten or cursed. But Paul ran the race to the bitter end, and encouraged Timothy to also run the race. He'd say the same thing to each of us if he was around today.
Don't give up, no matter how much of the world seems to be turned against you. Love your friends. Love your family. Love your neighbors and fellow church members. But also, love your enemies and those who despitefully use you (Matthew 5:43-46).
When things get tough, grab hold of the promise of eternal life, and don't give up professing your Christianity. Stay true until your death or when Jesus returns for His church. We have no idea just how awesome heaven is going to be. To be with Christ who gave His life to save us is something it will be hard to measure. To be with all of those in our past who died after living a Christian life, saved by the blood of the Lamb will be so cool. I'm sure some of the big names in Christ will have a "take a number and I'll see a few numbers every second Tuesday in the month" or they'd probably be insane from answering the same questions over and over. Or maybe Jesus will just allow us to know more.
At any rate, immortality is something to look forward to as long as it is immortality with God and not without God.
Riches Revisited
At the end of the book (1 Timothy 6:17-21), Paul turns to riches that last. He orders Timothy to tell those who are well off that God has provided all they have, ultimately, and they shouldn't put their trust in things nor should they become proud or boastful due to their position.
If they do good, then they will feel blessed. A willing heart to help, distribute your wealth, and let people know about Christ is a way to store up treasures in heaven. It is far better that they ensure eternal life and not let their riches be a trap that destroys them.
Paul closes out with a warning to stay true to his calling and not be caught in the fables and vain speech which Paul had warned about earlier in the letter. He also warns Timothy to not get caught up in debates on science. There were notable physicians for their time in Ephesus, and Timothy was to not get caught up in their debates (perhaps due to his stomach illness) but was to stay focused on God.
It's easy to let science so corrupt your mind that you cease believing in God altogether. Paul warned Timothy of this as well. I'm a big believer in science. But I'm also a big believer in God. I haven't found any places where they get in the way of each other, although our scientific understanding is continually changing and growing. And I've seen and heard testimonies given of many things that science simply can't explain.
Whether or not you consider yourself rich, lay up treasures in heaven. Support God's work on earth. Witness and try to bring more people to a knowledge of Christ. We're all called to do that - not just young preachers.