Finding True And Lasting Satisfaction

Becoming rich and famous does not guarantee contentment. If it did, multimillionaire athletes and Hollywood celebrities would not jeopardize their careers by using illicit drugs. Wealthy lawyers would not wish they could trade everything they had for a change in the behavior of their children. Multiple marriages among celebrities would not be commonplace. Obviously, contentment must come from a source other than wealth and fame.

In Ecclesiastes Chapter 5, Solomon tells us that the lives of those who love money and possess great amounts of it, are not as rosy as they seem. They are never satisfied with what they have, and they face the emptiness of watching other people consume their riches (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11). In contrast, the humble laborer, who has little in the way of material goods, can sleep soundly, while the rich man lies awake at night worrying about his money (Ecclesiastes 5:12).

How about our attitude toward money? Are we frustrated or satisfied with what we have? Paul tells us that we are “not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Only when we place our trust in the Lord and are obedient to His will, will we find true and lasting satisfaction (Psalm 37:3-5; Matthew 7:21; cf. Matthew 6:19-20; 1 Timothy 6:17-19).

"O the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Freely, how freely they flow;
Making the souls of the faithful and true
Happy wherever they go.
Precious, more precious,
Wealth that can never be told;
O the unsearchable riches of Christ!
Precious, more precious than gold." —J.R. Sweney

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets