https://odb.org/2025/10/09/cautionary-tale
Ecclesiastes 5:13, 14, 18–20 (NIV): 13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, 14 or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. 18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 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. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.
In the classic film Citizen Kane, Charles Foster Kane amasses wealth and power by building a newspaper empire. In a story reminiscent of Ecclesiastes 2:4-11, Kane spares himself no pleasure, building a castle with grand gardens full of artistic treasures. Citizen Kane ends with the revelation that Charlie’s pursuits have been driven to fill a void in his heart—the parental love he lost as a child. I can imagine the author of Ecclesiastes agreeing. Our Father God has “set eternity in the human heart” (3:11), and life can only be enjoyed with Him (2:25). Charlie Kane’s cautionary tale speaks to us all: Don’t seek spiritual fulfilment through wealth and power, but through the one who pours His love into our hearts (Romans 5:5) (Sheridan Voysey, ODB 9 October 2025)
The issue of pursuing wealth and spirituality had always been on my mind since I first accepted Christ in my teens. When I was younger, I used to think that they were mutually exclusive in the sense they were not compatible with one another. You either choose wealth (which then represents the world) or choose God. Solomon in Ecclesiastes teaches that the accumulation of wealth (wealth hoarded) is destructive and that is true to the extent that when we have a lot, we tend to worry more about how to grow it or how to avoid losing it and as a result may end up having sleepless nights. Solomon ends Ecclesiastes 5 beautifully by declaring first that man is entitled to enjoy the fruits of his labour. But most importantly, it is better if God gives us our wealth as He will give us the ability to enjoy it, to accept our lot, and be happy in our toil. We won’t think too much of our wealth because God distracts us by keeping us occupied with gladness of heart. In other words, we are so grateful and happy that we have no time to worry about our wealth.
For us who are more mature Christians, we know that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). We know that money or wealth itself is neutral. The love of money breeds covetousness and causes us to compromise our faith. We may end up doing unethical things to gain money and wealth. When we have wealth, we become worried that we may not grow it fast enough, thereby slowly losing its value with inflation and reducing purchasing power creeping in.
The lesson this morning is to always pursue God first (which Solomon always advocates), and then as we work hard in our secular jobs, God will bless us with wealth eventually. Since we put God first, He will bless us with the ability to enjoy our wealth, to be contented and grateful for His blessings. One of the things I learned in my early career days is to live below our means and have delayed gratification so that we always have more instead of not enough. Stretch the dollar, and you might not need many dollars!
Ronnie's Thoughts 