What’s the ultimate goal?

1 Timothy 6 talks all about wealth. It directs using wealth for enjoyment. It gives many ways to do so. We enjoy wealth by using it, not by hiding and protecting it. We put it to work. We use it

At the end of this list, we reach the end of the wealth discussion. At the end, it all has a purpose.142 It is all,

“so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:19b)

Now this is really living!

What’s the purpose? It’s to grab life. This isn’t just talking about heaven. It’s talking about real life, right now. Different translations call this

“true life,”143 “the life that is truly life,”144 “life which is life indeed,”145 “the life that really is life,”146 “life that is real,”147 “the real life,”148 or “genuine life.”149

This is not just living. This is the “abundant life” (John 10:10).150 It’s an amazing outcome. It’s the outcome. It’s life. What benefit could be better? Only one thing is better. True life, real life, life that is life indeed is better.

We’ve heard the expression. A person reaches a pinnacle moment. They stop to really enjoy it. And they say, “This is the life!” or “This is really living!” That’s the idea behind this phrase.

Except it means more because it’s not just a passing moment. It’s an ongoing, lasting life experience. It’s a continuing lifestyle.151 It’s an enduring identity.152 It’s a full life.153 This “real life” includes

Now that’s really life! That’s truly life. That’s life indeed.

This isn’t just theology. It’s an observable reality. One author interviewed over 50 “mega” donors who gave millions. He explained,

“Mega givers are filled with joy. You can pick them out in a crowd. I haven’t been able to figure out why, but it’s true – there’s a sparkle and recognizable joy to their living - a joie de vivre.”154

Professor Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson put it in formal terms. They summarized a mountain of research findings, explaining,

“The association between generous practices and personal well-being is strong and highly consistent across a variety of types of generous practices and measures of well-being … generous practices actually create enhanced personal well-being.”155

This isn’t just esoteric eschatology. It’s practical. It’s scientifically proven. It’s true. It’s real life, right now.

It’s a matter of life and death

Paul’s wealth discussion starts with death. We can’t take it with us when we go (1 Timothy 6:7). Some wealth management strategies lead to death and suffering even while we’re alive (1 Timothy 5:6; 6:9-10). But Paul ends with life. Smart wealth management can lead to real life, right now.

For Paul, wealth management is a matter of life and death. This is also true for Jesus. The Parable of the Rich Fool begins in death. Jesus told the parable because someone had buried their wealth and died with it. This divided a family. Inheritances often do. This family fight prompted Jesus’ story. His story also ended in death. It showed how stacking up wealth just to die with it is foolish.

This parable is all about wealth and death. But it’s also about wealth and life. Afterwards, Jesus explained the parable. He says,

“one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15b NKJV)

Different translations put it differently. Holding abundant wealth is not what life is “about.”156 It’s not what life “consists in.”157 It’s not what life is “made up of.”158 It’s not how life “is measured.”159

We can stack up as much as we want. We can build as many barns to store it as we want. No matter how much it is, one thing won’t be there when we sort through it all. There’s one thing we won’t find. We won’t find life.

Merely holding wealth does not lead to a genuine life. It doesn’t lead to satisfaction. In fact, it’s stressful. Moths and rust destroy. Thieves break in and steal (Matthew 6:19). Solomon explains that wealth is often held to the detriment of its owner (Ecclesiastes 5:13).

The right goal is not to hold abundant things. It’s to have abundant life.160 Abundant things can be useful. We can use them to pursue real life. But not if we simply possess them. If we just hold them, they don’t help.

Real life doesn’t come from possessing abundance. That’s just saving it up to give to death.161 Instead, it comes from using abundance. It comes from using it

“to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18)

That’s what allows us to

“take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:19b)

Choose your epitaph

The right use of wealth becomes obvious if we start where Paul started. We start at the end. We start at the owner’s death. What’s it worth to the owner then? Nothing. We can’t take it with us.

Leaving it to the next generation often ends poorly. It creates family fights. It funds harmful choices. Leaving behind too much unearned “death money” isn’t a path to family harmony or happiness.

So, let’s start at the end. What’s the best ending summary of your earthly story? What epitaph do you want to leave behind? How about this one:

“He made a lot of money. The end.”

Not very inspirational, right? God wants a different outcome for you. How about this one instead?

“He really grabbed hold of that which is truly life! He did a lot of meaningfully good work! He was so rich in beautiful, noble, inspirational good works! He was always generous and ready to share! He was deeply connected to those in his fellowship community! He stored up for himself the treasure of a good foundation for the future!”

Isn’t that a better epitaph? Who wouldn’t want to trade for this one instead? We all would. Yet, those really are the options. Those are the real-world outcomes.

Grab life by the horns!

Joyful wealth management isn’t easy. It requires real effort. It requires planning and change. It’s always easier to just put it off. It’s easier to passively drift along, acting as if our wealth-holding can last.

But Scripture doesn’t tell us to be passive. It says precisely the opposite. In English, we are to

“take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:19b)

But “take hold” doesn’t reveal the full sense of this word. It’s epilambanomai. This is from

“Lambanō, ‘aggressively take’ – properly, lay hold of something, showing personal initiative (‘focused resolve’)”162

Lambanō is aggressive. It’s intense. Yet, our word is even more extreme. It adds an intensifier [epi-] on top of lambanō. A lexicon explains,

“Epilambanomai (from epi, ‘on, fitting’ intensifying lambanō ‘aggressively take’).”163

The word expresses intensified aggression. It’s forceful. It’s often violent. The soldiers “seized” [epilabomenoi] Simon of Cyrene, forcing him to carry the cross (Luke 23:26). In Acts 21:30,

“The people rushed together, and taking hold [epilabomenoi] of Paul they dragged him out of the temple,”

Another crowd,

“Took hold of [epilabomenoi] Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat.” (Acts 18:17)

This violence also applies to our verse. Dr. Flavien Pardigon explains that in 1 Timothy 6:19 the word,

“seems to also carry the connotation of force or violence.”164

Timothy Dieppe agrees, explaining of the verse,

“a connotation of violence may be intended.”165

The verse directs aggressively grabbing hold of real life. It has the intensity of a real fight. This is not passively receiving a life. It’s going out to “win”166 real life by intense action. The idea is to “Grab life by the throat!”167 This “is riding life for all it is worth.”168

The instruction is clear. We don’t approach wealth management passively. We don’t just drift along with inertia. We don’t put it off until someday. We act with passionate – even violent – intensity. That’s how we grab hold of the experience of real life, right now.

Enjoyment is a responsibility

Wealth enjoyment is the right path. It’s a better way to live. But it’s also a responsibility.

Let’s start with a fundamental truth. Suppose a person has wealth. Who is responsible for the use of that wealth? They are. It’s their wealth.

In Acts 5, Ananias lied about his gift of wealth. Peter responded by pointing to Ananias’ ownership and control of his wealth. Peter said,

“The property was yours before you sold it, and even after you sold it, the money was still yours.” (Acts 5:4a CEV)

Ananias’ giving wasn’t mandatory. It wasn’t required. It was his money. He was in charge. He didn’t have to give anything. But its use was still his responsibility. Lying about his gift was not okay.

If a person’s wealth is used deceitfully, whose fault is that? It’s their fault. If it’s used to do evil, whose fault is that? That’s also their fault. It’s their wealth. So, it’s their responsibility.

Suppose a man bets his entire fortune on one spin of a roulette wheel. Then, he loses it all. Whose fault is that? It’s his fault. It was his money. He controlled it. And he chose to leave it all to chance.

Suppose a man decides to bury his wealth and die with it. Then, after all the family fights, it ends up being used for evil. It’s used in a way that contradicts his values. Whose fault is that? It’s his fault. It was his money. He controlled it. And he chose to leave it all to chance.

Will our buried wealth be used according to our values? It will if we use it. It will if we put it to work. Otherwise, who knows? Just burying the wealth to die with it is dumb. God calls this person a fool and asks,

“Who will own it now?” (Luke 12:20b)

Solomon writes,

“So, I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?” (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19a)

There is a smarter way. We can guarantee that our wealth will be used to support our values. We can put it to work right now. We can use it

“to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Timothy 6:18).

We can achieve real wealth enjoyment in this way. We can aggressively grab hold of the real life, right now.

It’s a great opportunity. And it’s also a great responsibility. The burying bad steward is judged harshly. Just leaving it all to death is not wise. And it’s not enjoyable.

Where to start

These verses talk a lot about giving, sharing, and making a real impact. But that’s not where we start. We don’t start by giving. We start by getting ready. We start by getting ready to joyfully share abundance.

First, we move from wealth to abundance. How much do we have? How much is beyond the basics we need for contentment? How much is extra? This helps define our abundance.

Scripture’s most repeated instruction is to “fear not.” That also applies to our financial planning. What financial fear is preventing us from holding wealth open-handedly? What fear would cause us to bury our wealth in the ground? What fear would cause us to explain this by saying, “I was afraid.” What can we do to get to “fear not”? Pray about it. Plan it out.

If wealth sharing today feels too scary, start with tomorrow. Start with estate planning. What’s left after covering regular living needs of dependent family members? This amount is extra. It’s an abundance.

What would you like to accomplish with this extra? Plan it out. What work expresses your inner desires and character? How can you make sure that it will happen? With a simple gift? A gift with instructions? An endowment? Put the plan in place.

That’s a great first step. Even if something happens to you, the plan is in place. Now consider the next step. Wouldn’t it be more fun to see some of that impact while you’re still alive? Wouldn’t that be a better way to follow the instruction of enjoying your wealth? What part might you be able to do now?

God had a purpose in richly providing to you. Fulfill God’s intended purpose. Don’t just passively wait to experience the life that is truly life. Violently take hold of it! Grab it by the horns! Begin to live the joyful life that God intended when He blessed you. Start today. Take the first step.

For more on this topic, see Chapters 15 & 16 in

Joyful Wealth Management: A Bible Study Discussion Guide 169