Money and Wealthနမူနာ

Do we ever have enough?

People naturally tend not to be satisfied with their wealth. If we long for something and have attained it, we will long for something bigger / more expensive / more special. We never have enough. The author of the book of Ecclesiastes observed this pattern, and concluded “this also is vanity.” Gathering more and more riches does not help us to control our lives. It does not offer lasting satisfaction and significance. It is fleeting.

In the book of Proverbs, we read a very wise and balanced view on material wealth. The author asks God:

‘Give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.’ (Proverbs 30:8-9 ESV)

We need a certain amount of wealth to cover our daily needs, and it is a real problem if we don’t have that. But having ‘too much’ can also be dangerous. It can lead us to forget about our dependence on the Lord. For the author of Proverbs, his relationship with the Lord was more precious than material riches. Do you agree?