How Much is Enough?
(July 7, 2025)
How much income would it take to satisfy you? $50,000 a year? A six-figure
income? A million or more? I will venture to say that if you’re not content with
what you have, you will not be content with more.
Maybe a deeper question would be, “Why do you want the income you
mentioned? If the reason you want more is to find satisfaction in it, you can be
sure that you will be greatly disappointed. Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, “Whoever loves
money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their
income.”
This statement was made by Israel’s wealthiest and wisest king, King Solomon. He
knew what it was to be wealthy, yet in the end he lamented, “Vanity, vanity, all is
vanity!”
Now, don’t get me wrong, Scripture does not condemn wealth. Some of God’s
choicest servants were very wealthy. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Job to mention a
few. But the Bible does condemn greed, the love of money, and the pursuit of
wealth for its own sake. Proverbs 1:19 says, “Such are the paths of all who go
after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.”
On the other hand, Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6 that, “Godliness with contentment
is great gain.” In the end, the one who has little but is content is richer than the
one who has great wealth and is never satisfied. Jesus is enough! He will satisfy
your deepest important needs…unconditional love, acceptance, significance,
purpose for living. These are the treasures Jesus offers.
Finally, Jesus said in Mark 8:36, “…for what does it profit a man if he should gain
the whole world and lose his own soul?” Friend, God does not condemn you for
being wealthy. But He is greatly concerned about where your heart is. Do you love
Him or money? You cannot love both (Matthew 6:24). You will either serve God
or money. Which will it be for you?