Many people strive to become rich with enough money to buy what they want or live a luxurious life. The question becomes, how much is enough? What level of riches becomes satisfying? In our society, it is not uncommon for people who get near to paying off a house to sell the house and buy a bigger one. This is often justified by pointing at others who have an even bigger house.

In the Bible, this syndrome of wanting more and more is mentioned in Ecclesiastes 5, where in verse 10 it states:

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.”

There will always be the next ‘better thing’. As such, when your focus is on such ‘things’, then there will always be something else leaving you wanting. Companies such as Apple have tapped into this reality for years to get people to upgrade to the “latest and greatest” device.

In short, the Bible indicates that you should not focus on having it all, nor focus on wanting things. Rather, as you work, you should be happy in what you do. You should not toil solely to gain all the money you can.

This is not to preclude you from being rich. In fact, later in Ecclesiastic, in verses 19 and 20, it states:

“Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.

Riches can be a gift of God. Of course, Ecclesiastic is Old Testament scripture. If you forge forward into the New Testament, you’ll find additional references to wealth. One good reference is in 1 Timothy 6 at verse 17:

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

In this verse it doesn’t say a Christian can’t be wealthy. Rather, it states that a Christian should not put their faith in wealth. This goes back to the idea that your focus shouldn’t be on making the most money or on getting the next best things. Rather, a person’s focus should be on God. If your focus is on God, then being rich becomes much more relative.