The more we have, the more we want

Without a doubt the richest man of the ancient world was Israel’s King Solomon. He had everything that money could buy and then some. He controlled large portions of the Middle East, built some of the ancient wonders of the world and he is the only man I know of that could support a family with 700 hundred wives and probably thousands of children. At the end of his life he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes and in it he warns us not to spend our lives investing merely in earthly treasure.

Solomon said, “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). In other words, the more you have the more you want. Most people think, “If only I had a little more money then my problems would be solved and I could live a happy and contented life.” But what people feel to realize is that money is not God’s solution to every problem nor does it satisfy the desire of man.

If earthly treasures could bring a happy and contented life then Simon Cowell should be the happiest man on earth. We know him as the entrepreneur who brought us ‘American Idol’, ‘Britain’s got talent’ and the ‘X factor’. he has made Westlife, Leona Lewis and Il Divo household names.

At 49 years of age, Simon is classified as the coolest man on the planet. He made this year’s Rich List with an estimated fortune of 120 million pounds. In fact he just finished renovating his mansion, which is just a stone’s throw from Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, CA. His home is so luxurious it took him five years to get it right. Yet in-spite of all this Simon Cowell struggles with depression, happiness and contentment.

In a recent interview he said, “If I went to a psychiatrist, it would be a long session. I have always thought that I have a number of issues that probably need dealing with, because I’m quite odd in some ways. I get very dark moods for no reason. I’m just a wondering asteroid without a home. I get to points in my life where I sometimes think I am never going to be happy. I’m like a human buffet table. Everyone comes and takes something from me and at the end, there is nothing left.”

It was Jesus who warned that “One’s life does not consist of the abundance of things that he possess” (Luke 12:15). Earthly treasures will never satisfy, because the more you have the more you want! This is why Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).