URC Daily Devotion for Wednesday, 12 August 2026

1 Timothy 6:6–10 

Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it;  but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.  But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

Reflection

I wonder how many times between us we have said, thought or heard, ‘Money is the root of all evil.’ Like all the best proverbs, it is pointed, concise, and memorable – yet I imagine you are already thinking: “But that’s not what the text actually says.” And that is hugely important, for at least two reasons. First, to blame all evil on money would stop us recognising many other evils for what they are – such as the desire to inflict pain, for example. And second, to equate money and evil so closely could lead us towards the idea that money is inherently bad, and that we should have nothing to do with it. Both of those are mis-steps, though sadly easy to make. It is the love of money which is the potential problem, not money itself.

The point is surely that in a world where we employ money as a means of exchange, we need to be very careful about how we use it, because money very greatly amplifies the things that can go wrong in our thinking and our behaviour.  It’s harder – though obviously not impossible – for wickedness to creep in when ‘buying and selling’ simply consists in exchanging something which I have, and that you want, for something that I want, which you have—let’s say, a bale of straw for a basket of fruit.

The door to evil and our own sinfulness is opened much wider when money becomes the thing that we desire for itself, rather than as a mechanism for exchanging our labour for whatever home or lifestyle we may be able to afford. That is to say, the evil arises when we desire money because of the power and security that it seems to offer. In sufficient quantities, as we see daily in media reports, money can lead rich people to the blasphemy that their wealth puts them above the judgement not only of their fellow humans – but also of God.

Prayer

Lord, 
on each payday bless me with the knowledge 
that money is simply one of the tools 
which enable me to live a life which is fulfilled in you – 
and when my purse is empty, 
give me gifts of wisdom, strength, humility, patience and faith, 
so that I may see my path clearly 
and walk it without falling away from you. Amen.