Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! Ecclesiastes 5:10
My family dog growing up, Sadie, always seemed to be anxious and stressed out. She was always concerned she was going to be left behind when we went on family vacations. She was always watching out the window to be sure that no stranger was going to come to our house, as all dogs do. With all of her quirks and habits, nothing displayed her anxiety more than when we gave her a bone to chew on. You see, as soon as we gave her a bone to chew, she would walk around the house, searching for a place to bury it instead of enjoying it. Instead of enjoying the treat she had been given, she stressed herself out, trying to store it up for later. We quickly learned that we could not give her bones anymore because they only caused stress. Trying to store her bone that she had been given was no way to for her to live.
When greed gets the best of us, the same thing happens. Greed leads us to search and search for ways to hoard our possessions, and we end up much like Sadie. This is no way to live. The good news is that there is a better way to live. Ecclesiastes encourages us to practice contentment rather than greed.
In Ecclesiastes 5:10, the writer of the book states that greed will take us nowhere. "Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!" In other words, if our main concern is gaining money and material possessions, we will always be stressed and discontent. We will always be stressed out seeking more. In other words, we will be like my old family dog, wandering in circles looking to hoard our possessions but finding no peace. Instead of living this way, we can choose contentment, or accept our "lot in life" (Ecclesiastes 5:18). This simply means accepting what God has gifted you with and what He has not. This is the secret to contentment. It does not mean that we don't try our best and work hard; it simply means that we stop striving. We work hard and trust God with the results.
Where does this land with you today? Has greed caused stress and stolen joy? Take some time today to practice contentment. Accept the gifts that God has given with joy and gratitude. Accept that some things you desire have not been given to you. As you do this, you will experience great peace.
One of the true markers of contentment is generosity. When we are content with what God has given us, then we are willing to share our blessings with others. Take time today to practice generosity. Buy someone's coffee or meal. Go through your closet and donate some of your clothes to someone in need. Buy someone a gift card to their local grocery store or their favorite store. As you practice contentment by showing generosity, you will find peace as you fight against greed.
Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. Even the king milks the land for his own profit!
Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 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!
People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.
There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 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.
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. Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.
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. 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. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.
