Food and Raiment

1 Timothy
6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
6:7 For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out.
6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Do you think this is practical advice for modern day? Is food and raiment really enough?

Greetings Oyster, another great thread, filled with useful verses.

Thank you for sharing it. !!


The first verse that comes to mind is...

the Lord is my Shephard, I shall not want.

When our focus is on our needs and the needs of others rather than our wants, contentment with that which is ours, our portion, our Lord, becomes the focus. He is our greatest need.

When He is the desire of our hearts, we find ourselves fed and clothed in His righteousness.

Yes He and His grace which abounds much are so much more than enough.

Yes, tempered with the reason we are given by our Maker...……. When I was younger, much younger, and I traveled from my place of rebirth sharing the Good New every where from Colrado to New York, and many countries between New York and to Israel, I did what I could living muostly on faith and a small amount of savings. Our Father does not want us to suffer want………...you know, consider the lilies!

God bless you O...…..

It is applicable today, and God only blesses us with our needs and not our wants.

Whatever is a need for us we go by that and not our wants is what it basically means which food and clothing is the main thing we need.

We may need a car for transportation since we might not be able to get a job close to us, and to do things we cannot do by foot which would be the same as having a chariot of old time, and we may need a house for shelter which Paul even had a house for a while.

Out of faith, hope, and charity, the greatest of these 3 is charity, which is love in action.

Charity is greater than faith.

Paul said he could have all faith so he could remove mountains, but if he did not have charity he is nothing.

Paul said if anybody preaches that godliness is gain, money and material things, from such withdraw yourselves having food and clothing be content.

For the love of money is the root of all evil for it neglects the poor and needy, and love is the fulfilling of the law, and those who have coveted after money have erred from the faith.

And James says the same thing as Paul speaking of feeding and clothing people that if they have the means to do it, and do not do it then their faith is dead.

And John said that without charity the love of God does not dwell in them, so do not love in word and in tongue, but love in deed, works, and in truth.

And that is because God loves people not blessing the saints will more than their needs that does not help the poor and needy.

And love is the fulfilling of the law which includes feeding and clothing them.

If Jesus said feed and clothe your enemies then we know we have to feed and clothe people if we have the means to do it.

That is why the Bible says having food and clothing be content for we only to go by our needs and not our wants.

And anybody that goes by their wants falls victim to the love of money is the root of all evil for it neglects the poor and needy, and God created the earth for the people to operate by love not selfishness.

This is a big problem in America, and a big problem worldwide among preachers, even in Africa where you would think they would have compassion on the people in that continent, and television evangelists fail at this which the preacher is not to be in ministry for the money, but they try to convince the people that God blesses them with that money, and them too.

It is applicable because it has to do with love towards people, and love is the fulfilling of the law.

How can you say you love people but go by your wants above your needs, and people that love people are not millionaires and billionaires, and only go by their needs.

But they will try to fool you concerning that they love people despite their selfishness, but God says not so.

It is a matter of love concerning having food and clothing be content.

But whatever is a need we go by that and not our wants that have nothing to do with the sustaining of our physical lives.

AWWWWW come on.......to be happy we need....

3 Big screen HD TVs
2 Cell Phones
A 4 car garage with 2 cars, a boat, 4 wheeler, atv, motorcycle and 2 jet skis
Cable TV
2 laptops, 3 notepads and a regular pc
367 pairs of shoes
234 changes of clothes
6 different coats
137 different handbags
Jewels and Jewelry of every flavor
A winter and summer home
A motor home
35 credit cards
3 jobs
T-Bones, Shrimp, Caviar, Champagne, Wine and a personal violinist for dinner every night
and our kids need 736457920 different toys, xbox, nintendo, 375 videos from Barney to Peppa Pig

etc.............

I think I am pretty close .....just need one more pair of shoes.

Get a pair of Rocky Boots....you will need them

Peppa Pig....hahahaha (no Muppets?)

Yeah doesnt sound like the Bread of Life that list does it?

Ask any successful Rock Star. Give him millions of pounds, stick him in a mansion with all those things on your list and he will eventually want to destroy himself.

Deep down, even really successful people, don't feel in their hearts they have "earned" all this material wealth or deserve it. They end up making a prison for themselves and give up freedom. They cannot even go out of their own houses with their families as they fear a stalker will find them or harass them (or even worse harm them).

Larry Hagman once said, that he would get rid of all his possessions and all his wealth.

Trouble is (he was saying it in a joke) that he would have to buy eight more mansions just the store the stuff in his eight mansions.

Sounds about right. After all, you can only wear one pair of shoes at once, and only drive one car at a time. I always think its obvious that men crave the simple things in life as even Presidents or Corp Head Honchos, want to go and escape to their "log cabins and go fishin". In other words, they do this on holiday as that is what they seek the most - simple things in life despite their wealthy trappings.

The bread of life is all we need.

The rest is just for showing off......

Hebrews 13:5) Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

In my opinion, this verse and the ones in the OP are teaching that we are not to covet the things of this world. Not that we should not want more than just food and raiment, but that if we find ourselves with only these, learn to be content. To praise God for what He provides.

Scripture teaches that it is perfectly ok to ask for other than food and raiment.....but not to covet those things..….


Matthew 7:7 - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:


Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].

James 4:3 - Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts.

Philippians 4:6-8 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.


John 15:7 - If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Luke 11:13 - If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

These are a few Scriptures showing why I believe what I said. There are others as well.

When I lived in Chicago last, I lived in a 4 +1, a kind of low-rise apartment building.

Once I thought how I would like to have a certain item, but then I thought it was wrong to hanker for it. I went to the rubbish chute one day and there in a box was exactly what I had in mind, just for me. Yes I could have bought it, but I thought that was not mine to do for it may be coveting.

Then, this was back in the Widnows 5 days, my Zip' drive went crackers, did not function at all, and I thought, what a big hassle for me because I had lots of stuff on zip drive. I went to toss my rubbish andlo on the floor there was a bos with a Zip drive and several Zip disks. There was also a note, and its read something like, "Yeah, this is a Zip drive comoplete with disks, and yeah, it works." I could have been knocked over with a feather.

There were lots of things that popped up in the rubbich schute closet, but most would not believe the details. The same thing tens do happen to me here in Spain.

Our Father taks very good care of us, His care is meticulous, and of course, so is His love. Praise God, amen...j

Hey Jaumel

That is so true. My family live in Spain - amazing what people leave at the Basura. My son found an antique mirror 6ft high, and a huge piece of granite for a kitchen. One mans muck is another mans treasure. I like the pass it on mentality in Spain where they very obviously leave items by the bins for anyone who goes by to just put in their car. After all - kindness if free and it seems like provision indeed. Sometimes if you get your mind set on something you need - it pops up and its just "there". Amazin...

It seems that now that I am an aadult, old that is, and with certain disability, our Father has taken to "babysitting" me, and the special attention is so wonderful, I cannot express it. No, I have not turned materialistic in my old age, but our Dad sure takes better care of me than I ever did.

All praise and thanksgiving to our Lord, Jesus, Yeshua, amen.

What Paul was really saying is (a) don't be greedy for gain, (b) don't plan on selfishly hoarding your wealth, and (c) don't make money your idol. Put your wealth to work for the Kingdom of God. Paul was fully aware that Christians needed a roof over their heads, and some of the other daily necessities, such as transportation, and the tools of their trades.

Money is neutral. It can be either used to spread the Gospel, give away Bibles, support missionaries, and provide humanitarian aid to many who need it ( particularly poor or destitute Christians all over the world).

Or it can be used for selfish reasons and self-aggrandizement. Also, none of the apostles and their companions asked for donations for themselves (unlike some of today's slick preachers). It was always for the sake of others.

I agree.....and your assessment is correct....I sat at a table with 5 men collectively worth over a billion U.S.....and they were the most miserable, unsatisfied men I have ever seen.....and their family/children had no respect for anyone and or anything.....

It depends on the country i'd say. If you live in a warm place the tropical island of Tonga somewhere, SURE!

If you live in Finland, YOU NEED A ROOF over your head.

Golf-courses, billionaires, houses in separate countries, compounds and large pieces of property, good neighbors, international travel... Are you working for Kenneth Copeland over there bro?????? God opening the windows of heaven showering MONEY on you.

But you are right. All the materialism means NOTHING. Everybody looking for the easy way out with their pension jobs. Everybody wants to be comfortable, everybody wants to have a car, everybody wants to have money for this hobby and that hobby and that cruise and that and this. AND SO DO I. Lucky for me im FLAT BROKE and im living PAYCHECK to PAYCHECK buddy, thats HOW WE DO. THE CHAINGANG, BACK IN THE STREETS.
European governments have decided to become the welfare office for the entire world so we pay HALF of our paycheck to the government. THANKS A LOT.

You'll get it soon too America, keep voting for demoBrats. THATLL WORK. CUT THAT CHECK COUSIN!

Sounds about right. Solomon had 700 wives and didn't even like any of them. That's a lot of arguments man...

hahahhahahhahahhhhaha

Hahhaha......shhhhhhhhhh don't give all my secrets away haahha