More Is Better?

The television commercial portrayed a young family looking wistfully at a pleasure boat.  The problem was that they didn’t have enough money to purchase the boat.  It was at this point that a particular bank was mentioned as the institution that would provide the needed money to the family through a generous loan.  The next scene depicted the happy family driving off in their car pulling the newly purchased pleasure boat.  Then the statement was made that “more is better” and for one to come and borrow the money from this bank in order to buy whatever one desired.  But, is more, better?  Not necessarily so.

It seems that in every age there are those who equate happiness with material possessions.  Yet Jesus warned against this idea when he said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). 

We all need to learn that material wealth can never bring satisfaction even if we had enough money to purchase everything that our hearts desired.   Solomon illustrates this truth.  He had everything a person could hope for in the way of material gain; yet, when viewed from the perspective of eternity he wrote that material prosperity was vain and a mere grasping for the wind; that there was no profit under the sun (Ecclesiastes 2:8-11). Later, from the deep reservoir of his own experience, he wrote the following, “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase.  This also is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).  More is not always better.  The possession of material things does not insure peace of mind, contentment, and happiness. Such is obtained only by having a right relationship with God.