Are you like Scrooge or like God?

Advent Series: 1Tim 6 Be Generous like God

Many the world over are familiar with Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” with the main character of Scrooge who thinks only about gathering and keeping money. Three ghosts appear to show him his faulty logic. Paul’s counsel to Timothy is much like the wisdom of the ghost of Christmas present, Christmas past and Christmas future. The lesson of Scrooge is straight from the words in 1Timothy 6 that he needed to learn:

For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either. But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that. Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap. For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

Just like Scrooge, we too must be wary of gaining and storing up riches for self. Jesus taught that same principle; no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Again he taught a parable about a rich landowner who boasted that he could eat, drink, and celebrate because he chose to store his riches in many barns. God called him a fool and said that that very night his life would come to an end. Jesus asked: then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 

In this Christmas season may we learn from Jesus: To whom much is given much is required. What gift will you share from your abundance this season?