The good fight

Haiku responding to 1 Tim 6:6-19

Godliness brings gain

and contentment. Accepting

the life God gives you.

We can bring nothing

with us into the world, take

nothing out of it.

Food, shelter, clothing,

these we need; if we have these

we should be content.

Those who want riches

are trapped by harmful desires

that will ruin them.

The love of money

is the root of all evil;

leading them astray.

Pursue righteousness,

godliness, faith, endurance

gentleness and love.

The good fight of faith

must be fought. Eternal life

is yours; grasp it well.

Those who are rich now

need to put their trust in God,

who truly provides.

Be rich in good works,

generous, sharing; building

a strong foundation.

Like the rest of us,

the rich must find their true life

in God, not in wealth.

© Ken Rookes 2025

Strive first

Shelter from the elements,

clothing that is warm enough,

food that satisfies,

a healthy body

and people to share love with.

This, I think, is contentment;

though you would hardly know it existed

given the obscene salaries of CEOs,

the hugeness of mortgages,

the bleatings of mining companies

and the rampant desire of the wealthy

to minimise and avoid taxes. Never enough!

Contentment :is the place of divine security

from which the kingdom’s servant

laughs at other imagined needs,

land looks beyond to the real demands

of justice, peace and love.

God has supplied all that is needed;

who could desire anything else.

But there remains work to be done

for the sake of faithfulness,

much to be achieved

in the name of discipleship and love.

The kingdom has brought its own priorities;

it weeps and yearns and aches,

and will never cease

until each human life,

valued with the same loving wonder

that flows from the creator’s heart,

has been set free.


Ken Rookes