1 Timothy 6:17
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.
1 Timothy 6:17 (NKJV)
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV)
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
1 Timothy 6:17 (KJV)
Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
1 Timothy 6:17 (NLT)
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
1 Timothy 6:17 (ESV)
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
1 Timothy 6:17 (NASB)
As for the rich in this present world, instruct them not to be conceited and arrogant, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
1 Timothy 6:17 (AMP)AMP
As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be proud and arrogant and contemptuous of others, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God, Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for [our] enjoyment.
1 Timothy 6:17 (AMPC)AMPC
Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage.
1 Timothy 6:17 (MSG)MSG
New Covenant Meaning
The Problem Is Not Wealth; It Is Where Wealth Is Trusted
Paul does not tell wealthy believers their wealth is spiritually dangerous or that they should give it all away. He addresses where they put their trust. Riches are uncertain. The Greek adelos means invisible, unknown, unreliable. What wealth offers as security is a mirage: it can be present today and absent tomorrow. The living God, by contrast, is the certain foundation. His provision does not fluctuate with markets or circumstances. The correction is not poverty. It is the reorientation of trust from an uncertain foundation to a certain one.
God Gives Richly All Things to Enjoy
The surprising turn of the verse is in its ending. Paul does not say God gives you exactly what you need and no more. He says God richly provides us with everything for enjoyment. The word richly is plousios: abundantly. The word enjoy is apolausis: pleasure, enjoyment, the experiencing of good things. God is not a God of joyless minimalism. He gives richly so that His people can enjoy what He has given. The problem with trusting in riches is not that God does not want you to have good things. The problem is that riches are the wrong source of security for someone who has the living God.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 function as a unit. Verse 17 addresses trust: do not trust riches, trust God. Verse 18 addresses behavior: be rich in good works, generous, willing to share. Verse 19 addresses investment: storing up a good foundation for the future, laying hold of the life that is truly life. The wealthy believer is not told to feel guilty about their wealth. They are told to use it with the right posture (trust in God) and the right behavior (generosity). The goal is not the elimination of wealth but its proper stewardship within a life that has placed trust in the living God rather than in the uncertain riches He has allowed.
Application
Riches Cannot Give What They Promise
The wealth of 1 Timothy 6:17 is called uncertain because wealth promises security but cannot deliver it. The person who trusts in riches trusts in something that is structurally incapable of being what they are looking for. Only the living God is certain. Only He provides with the kind of reliability that actually produces security. The financial anxiety that plagues many believers, even wealthy ones, is often the symptom of trusting in the wrong thing. Reorienting trust to God does not require poverty. It requires putting the living God in the position that riches were never designed to fill.
Receive God's Rich Provision as a Gift, Not a Reward
God gives richly all things to enjoy. This is not earned income. It is gift. The enjoyment of what God provides is meant to be received with gratitude, not with the anxiety of someone who knows the source could dry up. The one who trusts in the living God can enjoy His provision with an open hand, knowing that the supply is not from an uncertain fund but from the inexhaustible generosity of a Father who gives richly. Enjoy what He has given. Trust in the one who gave it.
Prayer
Father, I reorient my trust from what I have to You. I do not trust in uncertain riches. I trust in You, the living God who gives richly all things to enjoy. Every good thing in my life is from Your hand. I receive it with gratitude and enjoy it as a gift. And I release the anxiety that comes from treating financial resources as my security, because You are my security. In Jesus name. Amen.