Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them?
That first sentence is interesting. Whoever has money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. It raises the question of what it means to be satisfied and it reminds us that there is a great deal of value in feeling satisfied. But it says that neither money nor wealth will get us there. John Rockefeller coined human nature best when he quipped, “How much money is enough money?” And his response to his own question was “Just a little bit more.” How many times have we thought, “if only I could have this or that, then I would never want another thing in my life…” There is not one thing, as in nothing, that could be bought, borrowed, or saved as provided any ultimate satisfaction in our lives. There will always be room for just a little bit more. The first verse teaches us that the greedy can never have enough. But what is the point of greed? What good does it do us to have more and more? The second verse gives us insight into the foolishness of greed. Having and eating lots of food will only make us fat. And what good does it do to have all kinds of possessions? Do we want to be wealthy just so we can sit around and look at our stuff all the time? How often do we think to ourselves, “If I only had some more money in the bank…” or “If I could just get a raise and make more money…”? We are cautioned against the love of money. More money and more possessions aren’t really going to give us meaning in life. Only when we accept Jesus and give up our lives to Him can we experience any true and lasting meaning in this life. All the things the world can offer us are truly meaningless…they won’t matter at all once we’re in Heaven.
Spiritual Steve 