What do You Want?

1 Timothy 6-Part 5
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 1 Timothy 6:9 NAS

LET IT GLOW

What do I want out of life? What do you want to be when you grow up? What are your goals for your future? These were questions I remember pondering when a senior in high school. My goals were to be a loving wife and mother,  a teacher, live in a nice house, and drive a new car. I had plans to attend a local college and become a home economics teacher, like my sister did. But my wants changed when I fell in love with the new guy in school. We married in November following our graduation. We moved from place to place. We changed jobs and lived in several different houses. We had two children. I was happy and content with my life. Then the Lord began calling us into the ministry, to be missionaries in our denomination. My wants changed. Like Isaiah, I wanted God to use me for His kingdom work.
The first step was for both of us to complete college, then seminary for my husband. I became an elementary school teacher and a Bible teacher to children. As it turned out, my husband has served the Lord in the pastorate for 31 years. He has gone on voluntary mission trips to 4 foreign countries and two states. I have gone to two countries and two states. Now I write Bible studies sending it around the world, so I feel I am still a missionary. My wants changed over the years.
What do you want to do with your life? If you're older, have you achieved it? Was it what the Lord wanted you to do? If not, it isn't too late. Surrender to His will and watch Him work in your life. It's such a blessing.

Swindoll's New Testament Insights on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus informs us of this:

The way the word want is used in this verse is boulomai in the Greek, which describes its natural tendency. Paul's word choice suggest that humanity naturally tend to pursue material wealth, so an individual must exercise his or her will to choose otherwise. Those who follow their inclinations toward temporal comforts fall into a four-step decline.

Step 1: Temptation-means to test, attempt, examine. The idea of temptation is to determine the ture nature
             of something by putting it to the test. The Bible doesn't command us to resist temptation; it instructs
             us to flee temptation. (1 Cor. 6:18, 10:14; 2 Tim. 2:22)

Step 2: A Snare-meaning a trap. One compromise leads to the wholesale loss of integrity, bit by bit.

Step 3: Foolish and harmful desires-foolish means mind or think. Literally, it's "non-thinking." Desires
             refers to passions or lusts. Secular Greek uses the term most often in conjunction with food or sex.
             Non-thinking passions lead to treacherous destinations.

Step 4: Ruin and destruction-These two terms picture corruption or internal corrosion, followed by utter
             destruction. The New Testament frequently uses the latter word to mean eternal damnation.

So where's the encouragement? I found it in these verses:
Psalm 37:4-Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
(God will place His desires into my heart whenever my delight is in Him.)

Psalm 23:1-The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
(I will not lack in haveing my needs met.)

Jeremiah 29:11-13-For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. and ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
(If I will seek the Lord with all my heart, and pray, then He will hear me.)

1 Corinthians 10:13-There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
(God will make a way for me to escape the temptation of sin if I will ask Him.)


LET IT GROW

Verse 9 starts out saying in the King James Version: They that will be rich...
The word will is not just an emotional fancy but indicates a calculated and planned procedure to get rich.
I causes a temptation, snare, and hurtful lusts.
Fall indicates that those who have such a desire are continually falling into temptation. Greedy people are compulsive; they're continually trapped in sins by their consuming desire to acquire more.

Destruction and perdition indicates that such greed may lead these people to suffer the tragic end of destruction and hell. These terms refer to the eternal punishment of the wicked.
[Resources: Liberty bible Commentary, MacArthur Bible Commentary]

This sounds serious. As a Christian, my desires, wants, should be to please the Lord, not my flesh. Are they?

LET IT GO

Let go of the desires to be rich and go with Jesus.

Be on the lookout for the temptations around me, trying to grab my wants, tempting me into sinful lusts.

Desire Jesus more than things and money.