1st Timothy 6:9
Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction.
One of my guilty pleasures are movies and tv shows about gangsters and mob bosses. I just finished a series called Breaking Bad. It centered around a dying man trying to make sure his family had enough money to get by when he was gone. His way of raising the money was the basis for the show. In his quest he made many bad decisions which changed his goal and his whole way of thinking. It was interesting to watch the evolution of a meek, mild-mannered man who had a family that loved him transform into a man who lost his soul and dragged others down with him. This was a show about money and greed.
Today's reading speaks to this. There's nothing wrong with having some of life's nice things, but we must learn moderation. We must learn to share, to help others who have less. Paul exhorts in the previous line that food and clothing are really all that we need. And it's true, but we often twist the words "need" and "want." Have you ever taken a cell phone away from a teenager? It's like their world has come to an end. "Dad I need my cell phone!!!" They don't need it, they want it. It physically makes them sick. That's the world that we live in today and what Paul warns us about. Give thanks today for the little things in life that we truly need and put away the desires of 'want.'
