Batteries not included ∙

Batteries not included ∙

Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude. – 1 Timothy 4:4

Ecclesiastes 5:10-19

 10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!

 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth – except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!

 12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.

 15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.

 16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing – like working for the wind.

 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud – frustrated, discouraged, and angry.

 18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.

 19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life – this is indeed a gift from God.

How many of us can relate to the unforgettable words of Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof?

“Dear God, you made many, many poor people. I realize, of course, that it’s no shame to be poor. But it’s no great honor either! So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?” “If I were a rich man if I were a wealthy man. I wouldn’t have to work hard. If I were rich, I’d have the time that I lack to sit in the synagogue and pray.” “You decreed I should be what I am. Would it spoil some vast eternal plan if I were a wealthy man?”

“To whom little is not enough nothing is enough” (Epicurus). When asked, “How much money is enough money?” John D. Rockefeller replied, “Just a little bit more.”

I am sure that most of us have thought about what life would be like if we had “a little bit more.”

For the average person, comprehending immense wealth is nearly impossible. At a certain point, wealth becomes so vast that it feels meaningless. Consider the enormous fortunes of some of the wealthiest people in the world in 2023: Bernard Arnault, $211 billion; Elon Musk, $180 billion; Jeff Bezos, $114 billion; Larry Ellison, $107 billion; Warren Buffett, $106 billion; Bill Gates, $104 billion.

Wealth often breeds discontentment rather than satisfaction. Discontentment is evident in two ways: the relentless pursuit to acquire more and more (Ecclesiastes 5:8-12) and the consequences faced by those who attain it (Ecclesiastes 5:13-17).

Ultimately, it boils down to greed versus gratitude and contentment. Have you ever considered that for the wealthy, the more they get, the more they want? Enough is never enough!

REFLECT & PRAY

Would it hurt if we had more wealth? The answer is yes and no, depending on how we receive it. If wealth were to come our way, wisdom demands that we remember and be grateful to the Father who gave us the power to make wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).

Father, help me to seek gratitude and contentment rather than endless greed and attainment without end.

INSIGHT

Solomon realized that there is a perspective regarding wealth that produces joy and contentment. Life is a gift from the Father. Life, with its daily struggles, is meant to be embraced and enjoyed as part of the Father’s plan and purpose.

The Father richly gives us all we need to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).

The secret of contentment is actually quite simple. “Add not to a man’s possessions but take away from his desires” (Epicurus).

We have the power to control our attitude towards wealth, rather than allowing wealth to control us.

After decades of searching and contemplation, Solomon realized that the Father grants both riches and the ability to enjoy them. Satisfaction is not included with prosperity. It comes separately.

Our society is replete with advertisements: “As Seen on TV, blah, blah, blah .” Batteries are not included.

When we adopt Solomon’s perspective, everything changes.

This is one of the mysteries of our age. People move from one thing to another, seeking satisfaction but never finding it. They experience temporary highs or exhilaration from their achievements, acquisitions, fame, or conquests, but they fade and do not last.

Contentment requires a major paradigm shift.  Everything on Earth is temporary except for the word of God and human souls. Instead of focusing on temporal things, we should concentrate on what is permanent.

1 Timothy 6:6 True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

When we come to know, understand, and experience godliness, we uncover the true meaning of contentment. Genuine contentment stems from godliness in the heart, not wealth in our hands (Wiersbe).

Effort without contentment is vanity. Take a moment to reflect: Is your constant striving wearing you down or bringing you contentment and peace?

When we adjust our attitude and learn to receive the good things the Father has provided with gratitude, something remarkable happens.

Ecclesiastes 5:20 God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

1 Timothy 6:7-10                                           

 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.

 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

The Father bestows abundant wealth and possessions on some children of the King. He intends for us to encourage others and to be channels of His blessings, not mere containers. We are meant to be rivers of living water, not stagnant wells.

Is it time to step off the relentless wheel of pursuing contentment? Perhaps it’s time to cultivate “an attitude of gratitude” for what the Father has already provided.

Hamsters are born to run, tirelessly seeking food each night. But the children of the King are not hamsters; they are born to seek true godliness.

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© Dr. H 2024