When Enough Is Enough
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | September 28, 2025
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Read 1 Timothy 6:6 – 19 (NIV)
Our New Testament lesson today comes from the Lectionary as it regularly does. I must say that this text is particularly interesting to me in light of the course that I am currently teaching for Indiana Wesleyan University... which is Personal Finance from a Biblical Perspective.
Just this past week, part of our discussion was based on the question, “How do you when you have enough?”
And while it was interesting to hear the different responses from the students as they reflected on their perspective of just what is enough... this morning, I want to encourage us to consider the perspective of WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
In this passage which comes from Paul’s letter to his young protégé, Timothy, Paul provides us with some guidelines that can help us to avoid the trap of falling in love with money... which Paul says is the root of all kinds of evil... and hopefully, these guidelines will help us gain a better understanding of WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
So, for our time together today, I want to explore some of those helpful guidelines that come from this text.
The first one is that earthly riches are temporary.
We need to realize that there will come a day when whatever riches we have will be gone. Simply put, we can’t take it with us... which is why you will probably never see a U-Haul following a funeral procession to the cemetery.
We find confirmation of this in verse 7 of this passage which reads, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”
While in verse 17, we read, “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.”
Looking at the Message Paraphrase, those same verses read, “Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.”
Underscoring this idea of WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, Paul goes on to tell Timothy in verse 17, “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.”
Often, we can get so focused on the material wealth that this world has to offer that we can easily lose sight of the real priority... putting our faith and trust in God.
Now, the irony is not lost on me that our money, here in the United States, bears the official United States motto which is, “In God We Trust.”
In doing some research, I learned that this official motto was adopted in 1956 and began being placed on all U.S. money in 1957. It replaced the previous unofficial motto, “E pluribus unum” which is a Latin phrase that is translated as, “Out of many, one.”
Now, I also found it interesting that the translated phrase is actually the title of a book published in 2021 by former President George W. Bush, “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants.” The book was a #1 New York Times bestseller and is a collection of oil paintings and stories that highlight, “the inspiring journeys of America’s immigrants and the contributions they make to the life and prosperity of our nation.”
So much could be said about that in light of everything that has been happening lately, but perhaps we would do well to leave that discussion for another sermon on another day.
But getting back to the text and Paul’s guidelines, when we realize that earthly riches are temporary... we will have a greater understanding of WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
And that brings us to the second guideline: WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH we will be content with what we have.
The first verse of our text this morning tells us that, “...godliness with contentment is great gain,” while verse 8 reads, “...if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
Paul also makes this point clear in his letter to the Philippians (4:11 – 13), where he writes:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.What Paul understood and what we would do well to understand also is that in Jesus, we already have everything we need, and we ought to be content with that.
However, the challenge for some folks is that we often have a hard time distinguishing between our wants and our needs.
We tell ourselves: I need that dress that I saw on sale at Sak’s... The reality is that you want that dress you saw on sale... you need whatever clothes you already have on your back or in your closet.
We tell our friends: I need that brand new Lexus LS500 Heritage Edition... this is the last year they will be making it, and they are only making 250 of them... I need it. Prayerfully your friends will remind you that what you really need is a car... like the one that you already have that runs just fine. And that doesn’t cost over $100,000 to drive off the lot.
Without a doubt, we will know WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, when we learn, as Paul suggests, to be content with what we have.
Which brings us to the next guideline for understanding WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH... we need to monitor what we are willing to do to get more money.
Verses 9 and 10 of the text read:
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.Looking at the Message Paraphrase, those verses read:
But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.Some people might consider this style of living as selling one’s soul to the devil... stepping outside of the will of God to fatten up our bank accounts.
We have to take stock and ask ourselves, just how far are we willing to go to make more money? If Jesus were to come back while we are engaged in whatever activity that is... would He be pleased? Or would He start turning over tables like He did with the money changers in the temple court (see Matthew 21:12).
If our answer is the latter and not the former, it is time to reassess WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH... and take steps to monitor and modify exactly what we are willing to do to make more money.
Now, the next guideline we can take from the text is that WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH we will desire a godly life more than money.
Looking at the Message Paraphrase again, verses 11 and 12 of the text read:
But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.These verses conjure up the image of an athlete... someone running... someone who desires to grab hold of the faith... someone who takes an active part in doing what God has called us to do... which is to love and to serve.
As you may have heard me say recently, my grandmother lived her life in accordance with the motto, “You can serve without loving but you cannot love without serving.”
It reminds me of what we read in the Gospel of Mark (10:45) when Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
First and foremost, Jesus came to serve, and we have been called to do so as well... and just to be clear, our service will require sacrifice... perhaps not to the extent of dying on a cross... but we have to be willing to give of ourselves without an expectation of receiving something in return.
After all, as Jesus Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
And so, as we consider WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH... it involves accepting that we have been called to a life of service... serving God and the people of God... which is why, at the end of the day we should desire a godly life more than money.
And that brings us to the last guideline. Once we understand WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH... we can be generous... freely sharing what we have with others.
In the last verses of our text, Paul gives words of instruction to Timothy regarding what to say to those who are rich with worldly wealth:
This sentiment echoes what Paul had previously written in his letter to the Corinthians:Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (1 Corinthians 9:6 – 8).WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH we will not have to worry about giving generously to help others because we are confident that God will bless us abundantly so we can do all that He has called us to do.
As I heard one of my ministerial colleagues say a few months ago, “God pays for what He orders.” In other words, God is not going to call us to do something without making a way for us to be able to do it. Or to put it another way, when God gives vision, God makes provision.
Looking back at Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we read these words of assurance of God’s provision, “You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.”
WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH we can freely share with others because God has so freely shared everything with us... and that includes the gift of eternal life that He has given us through His Son and our Savior, Jesus the Christ.
WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH we will know that having Jesus as our Savior, our Brother, and our Friend means we truly have more than enough.
And if you know that when you have Jesus you already have more than enough... then I want to invite you to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: What a Friend We Have in Jesus #585 Back
