He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV)
Satisfaction and contentment are the cornerstone of our natural desires. We have an innate drivenness to seek out satisfaction and contentment. We all desire to satiate this inner drive and determination. Where we look for that satisfaction and the level of determination in that pursuit is different in each person, but make no mistake… we all seek satisfaction and contentment. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes is pointing to one object that we all struggle with in our pursuit. All of us will at some point struggle with the pursuit of wealth and a desire to find contentment by pursuing money. Money is not in itself a bad thing or something to be abhorred. What the Preacher is pointing out is that our love for money can lead to a craving that is never satisfied. If we are in love with money, the pursuit of money, or the prestige of money, we will never be content with the level of wealth that we attain. When our love of money is driving us, we will always want more and more. Satisfaction, true satisfaction, will never be found in money and wealth.
The same is true for most everything. When we set our love on something, we are defining that thing as the answer to our heart’s desire. It could be wealth, knowledge, food, hobbies, sports, books, cars, or even people. When we elevate these things to a position of the ideal, we will never be satisfied. Our love for this thing will always be greater than the thing itself can provide.
I see this being worked out in my life every day. As much as I tell myself that money is not an object of my love, I can easily see the sway that it has over my heart. I find it difficult to be satisfied with the level of wealth that I currently have. I can’t remember being a point in my financial life where I was content. There was always more to attain. There was always another strategy or scheme to increase the intake or spend.
There is only one true way to find satisfaction and contentment in this world. It is to simply set my love upon Jesus. When I set my love upon Jesus, I am acknowledging that he is the true object of my desire. Where all others are simply imposters, Jesus is the real thing. There is satisfaction and content in the pursuit of Jesus in my life. There is a sense in which every moment of my pursuit is filled with satisfaction and contentment. I can live a life of peace, simply because he is more than enough to satisfy. There is another sense, where this satisfaction never fades. It never fades because Jesus is infinite. His love, mercy, and grace are not diminished as I experience Him. On the contrary, His love, mercy, and grace are an abundant richness that overflows into my heart. His love is consistently rich.
I love to think upon the riches of his mercy and grace. Money and wealth are important in this life to be sure, but the love of Jesus is the foundation and the cornerstone. If I am satisfied and content in Jesus, then all the others things (money, knowledge, food, relationships) can be fully enjoyed and appreciated because I am not trying to get anything more from them than what they have to offer. So what is the takeaway? I want to love Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Each and every day.