Today’s Devotional Theme Avoidable Tragedy
Daily Scripture1 Timothy 6:10
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Encouragement
I first encountered Frank (not his real name) a few weeks into my 18-year stint as a 2-way radio technician. He was head of a county department which had close contact with the sheriff’s office. His responsibilities included seeing that the radio communications of these government functions remained robust. He was well known in our radio repair facility and had come in to visit with my boss, whom he’d known for years. Frank first struck me as a man a little too full of himself. However, as I got to know him better, I saw many of his good qualities – his unfeigned friendliness and interest in people – and I came to like him. A year or so later my wife and I bought our first house and discovered, to our surprise, that Frank was a near neighbor. He and family lived almost directly across the street. They had 2 children as we eventually did. Their daughter and ours were the same age and shared many of the same classes in school. One day a large, fancy boat showed up in Frank’s driveway, along with a big pickup truck to tow it. In the back of my mind I sometimes wondered how he could afford stuff like that on what I knew was a fairly modest salary. One warm day as we were returning home, we drove past Frank and his daughter walking together. I was struck by their sad countenances. A couple weeks later Frank pointed a revolver at his head and pulled the trigger. As events continued to unfold, we learned that he was under investigation for embezzling over $100,000 in county funds.
Apply God’s Word
What “encouragement” might come from this heartbreaking story in which a man I knew took his life, leaving behind a bereft and grieving family? Look at today’s scripture, in which Paul admonishes his young protégé to avoid a “root of all kinds of evil.” A love of money – money that was not his – formed the very root of Frank’s tragedy. 1 Timothy 6:10 is one of Paul’s most familiar – and most often misquoted – warnings. Money itself isn’t the root of greed and other sins; rather it’s many people’s inordinate quest for more and more money to buy things they can’t afford. Believers are not immune, and Frank was a believer. My hope and prayer is that anyone reading this devotion who is so enamored of money that they’ve considered gaining more by dishonest means will repent and ask God to take away this life-threatening lust.
Come into His Presence
Lord God, Who keeps to heart and provides all our daily needs, may we learn to be content with what You, in Your sovereignty, give us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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