It is a story worth revisiting. Business tycoon and founder of Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller, was fabulously wealthy, America’s first billionaire. Think Warren Buffett or Bill Gates today. When asked one day, “How much money is enough?” Rockefeller replied, “Just a little bit more.”
Can there be a more profound description of human desire? It’s what we all want—just a little bit more. Another way of saying this is, more is never enough. It mocks us but never sates us. Regardless of our personal currency—be it money and means, accomplishment and adulation, position and power—the supply of more never meets the demand for more; there is no point at which the two intersect.
But what if we discovered “enough” were attainable, that we’d just been chasing the wrong things all along? What if our desires were to align with God’s desires, where mercy is more valuable than money, peace is more fulfilling than possessions, good is more precious than gain, and faithfulness is more treasured than fame? When it comes down to it, aren’t these the things that satisfy us? Don’t these reflections of God’s character soak deeper into our souls than the external pursuits of this world? Aren’t true contentment and rest found in these priceless things of God?
The psalmist said, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). It’s not that God is some sort of cosmic vending machine that spits out whatever we want; rather when we draw near to Him, the temporary things of this life are exposed for what they are, and our enlightened heart turns toward Him who said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
He himself is enough; we need nothing more.
Jesus, send your Spirit to me today, that I would set aside my desires and rest in yours. May I be fully content in you. Amen.
[Read today’s Scripture in Psalm 37:1-10.]
Can there be a more profound description of human desire? It’s what we all want—just a little bit more. Another way of saying this is, more is never enough. It mocks us but never sates us. Regardless of our personal currency—be it money and means, accomplishment and adulation, position and power—the supply of more never meets the demand for more; there is no point at which the two intersect.
But what if we discovered “enough” were attainable, that we’d just been chasing the wrong things all along? What if our desires were to align with God’s desires, where mercy is more valuable than money, peace is more fulfilling than possessions, good is more precious than gain, and faithfulness is more treasured than fame? When it comes down to it, aren’t these the things that satisfy us? Don’t these reflections of God’s character soak deeper into our souls than the external pursuits of this world? Aren’t true contentment and rest found in these priceless things of God?
The psalmist said, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). It’s not that God is some sort of cosmic vending machine that spits out whatever we want; rather when we draw near to Him, the temporary things of this life are exposed for what they are, and our enlightened heart turns toward Him who said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
He himself is enough; we need nothing more.
Jesus, send your Spirit to me today, that I would set aside my desires and rest in yours. May I be fully content in you. Amen.
[Read today’s Scripture in Psalm 37:1-10.]
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