"It matters a great deal who is going to win, but not at all who won"
Where is your hope?
Command those who are rich in this world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God who so richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17Paul says that if you are rich there are twin dangers – you might become arrogant and you might put your hope in wealth. When a well-known person dies you can read what their estate was worth – it somehow defines the person’s worth and value. The one who dies owning the most toys wins. The essence of the temptation is that I think that I am self-sufficient. Because I have money I can solve my own problems and don’t need God.
If Paul’s statement that money is uncertain was true in his day, it is 100 times more so in ours with fluctuating currency rates and stock market crashes. In the western world, no one will ever admit to being rich – in reality on a global level we are all rich beyond most of the world’s imagination.
What Paul says about riches could also be applied to sporting ability – which can lead us to be arrogant (“look at me, I have just set a new record”) or to feel self-sufficient. But we all know that sporting success is just as uncertain as money. The answer to the problems raised in the first half of the verse comes in the second half. We are to hope in God. In contrast to money or sporting success God is unchanging and worthy of our trust.
Working out in practice how to put our trust in God rather than material wealth and achievements is not easy.