Chasing What Never Satisfies

"He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with increase." (Ecclesiastes 5:10, NKJV)

Jesus was interacting with the woman at the well, and He said in John 4:13-14, "'Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.'"

Truly, we try to fill up on things that will never satisfy. We chase after money, thinking it will make us happy. One of the wealthiest men in the world, John D. Rockefeller, was asked, "How much will it take for you to be happy?" His response was, "Just a little bit more." Money does not satisfy.

We try to satisfy the longing of our souls with temporal things, and God's design is for us never to be satisfied with those things. Saint Augustine said, "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."

God has made us with a heart hunger that only He can fill. But what do we do? We try to fill it with other things. We eat spiritual junk food, and guess what? An hour later, we're hungry again.

The truth is, God wants us to fill up on things that will ultimately satisfy. Show me the happiest people on earth. Those are individuals who aren't chasing happiness. No, they're chasing holiness. And when you pursue holiness, you'll discover that you're trulyhappy.

There are two different kinds of righteousness in the Bible. One is positional righteousness—being in right standing with God through Christ. The second is progressive righteousness—righteous living, holiness, becoming more like Jesus daily. When Jesus says we are to hunger and thirst after righteousness, He's talking about holy living, living right before God.

Yet what do we do? We chase after pleasure, position, popularity, power, prestige, and money. You may be distracted for a little while, but you can never ultimately be satisfied until you find your satisfaction in Jesus.

Reflection Question: What have you been chasing that's left you feeling empty instead of fulfilled?

Lord, I confess I've been trying to fill the God-shaped hole in my heart with things that don't satisfy. I've chased after money, pleasure, and temporary distractions instead of pursuing You. Create in me a hunger for righteousness—for holy living that pleases You. Help me stop wasting time on spiritual junk food and start feasting on what truly satisfies. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "Hunger for Holiness": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/xjchmry/4-hunger-for-holiness