1 Timothy 6:19 – Investment's Timeline
17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come…
In The Children, David Halberstam draws an interesting distinction. He compares those African-American civil rights pioneers born in the South they were trying to change with Northerners who came alongside them. "It was not that Southern blacks lacked anger," pinpoint Halberstam, " but, he believed, they had grown up with a certain tempering quality of patience."
He quotes John Lewis, one of the Southerners. “We were rooted in those communities and their churches, and we had an understanding of how far you could go, one step at a time. Sometimes I think the Northerners thought they could just come down South and just liberate the natives. Those of us who had been born and raised there had a better understanding of how long a struggle it was going to be."
I consider the deference as I think over Paul's investment timeline in 1 Timothy 6:19. He has already used the figure of a foundation, perhaps to help those wealthy members of the church at Ephesus break from the idea of immediate gains from material wealth and acquisitive habits that have been compounding for years. Do the nearly invisible in ground that otherwise seems impenetrable, lay that foundation of who you are becoming in Christ as distinct from your portfolio, he charges. Then he reminds them of the timeline of the results they can look for.
They are not, as a rule, parachuting into ministry situations to see immediate results. Such expectations, even settling mixed among phrasing that is more faith-filled, can be pride's yeast that determines the quality of their entire efforts. Paul, at least as much as Lewis, is taking the long view. Paul, at least as much as Lewis, is equipping leaders to inculcate that among those over whom they have influence. The investment rules, says Paul with a view toward the invisible yet ineffable, are different now. The formulae are not quite so predictable.
One of the pictures I get is of God's people marching around Jericho. The first time they put themselves at risk, nothing happened. In the second, and the third, and the sixth. Perhaps they had something of an advantage as former slaves over their eventual heirs in Ephesus because the brokers to whom Paul is speaking indirectly in 1 Timothy 6 would readily expect evidence of results. They can do the same thing seven times, but, if the habit of sight-walking still has any hold on them, they would have expected incremental results if they were on the right course.
Thus Paul points them specifically to the age to come. John will tell us in Revelation that THIS city from which God's glory will radiate, yes, it will reflect the investments of His people. The gates will be named after the apostles. But the city itself will come down from above. These gifts, these results, this new beginning, is His gift by His grace. Working in line with that coming day may not yield countable dividends as we labor.
In The Children, David Halberstam draws an interesting distinction. He compares those African-American civil rights pioneers born in the South they were trying to change with Northerners who came alongside them. "It was not that Southern blacks lacked anger," pinpoint Halberstam, " but, he believed, they had grown up with a certain tempering quality of patience."
He quotes John Lewis, one of the Southerners. “We were rooted in those communities and their churches, and we had an understanding of how far you could go, one step at a time. Sometimes I think the Northerners thought they could just come down South and just liberate the natives. Those of us who had been born and raised there had a better understanding of how long a struggle it was going to be."
I consider the deference as I think over Paul's investment timeline in 1 Timothy 6:19. He has already used the figure of a foundation, perhaps to help those wealthy members of the church at Ephesus break from the idea of immediate gains from material wealth and acquisitive habits that have been compounding for years. Do the nearly invisible in ground that otherwise seems impenetrable, lay that foundation of who you are becoming in Christ as distinct from your portfolio, he charges. Then he reminds them of the timeline of the results they can look for.
They are not, as a rule, parachuting into ministry situations to see immediate results. Such expectations, even settling mixed among phrasing that is more faith-filled, can be pride's yeast that determines the quality of their entire efforts. Paul, at least as much as Lewis, is taking the long view. Paul, at least as much as Lewis, is equipping leaders to inculcate that among those over whom they have influence. The investment rules, says Paul with a view toward the invisible yet ineffable, are different now. The formulae are not quite so predictable.
One of the pictures I get is of God's people marching around Jericho. The first time they put themselves at risk, nothing happened. In the second, and the third, and the sixth. Perhaps they had something of an advantage as former slaves over their eventual heirs in Ephesus because the brokers to whom Paul is speaking indirectly in 1 Timothy 6 would readily expect evidence of results. They can do the same thing seven times, but, if the habit of sight-walking still has any hold on them, they would have expected incremental results if they were on the right course.
Thus Paul points them specifically to the age to come. John will tell us in Revelation that THIS city from which God's glory will radiate, yes, it will reflect the investments of His people. The gates will be named after the apostles. But the city itself will come down from above. These gifts, these results, this new beginning, is His gift by His grace. Working in line with that coming day may not yield countable dividends as we labor.
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