I Timothy 5-6

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (6:10).  Paul addressed the human tendency to regard wealth as an idol, something to pursue for its own sake, rather than as a tool.  Paul expected people to be paid for their work, including church leaders (5:17-18), yet the goal was “contentment,” not wealth.  Desiring wealth itself leads to “senseless and harmful desires” and “ruin and destruction” (6:9).

Rather than trusting in the “uncertainty of riches,” we are called to be generous and open-hearted, eager to “take hold of that which is truly life” (6:17-19).