We – every human being, are in pursuit of something. There are many things demanding your time and energy. A lot of things you could be doing, many things you should be doing. This makes it important for you to be sure that you are spending your scarce resources on the right pursuits. Money, fame and power are some of the things we spend the greatest energy pursuing. However, after all is said and done, they fail to deliver the sense of purpose we crave. You should chase after the spiritual above all. That is where you would find lasting peace and true happiness.
For someone who grew up in abject poverty, money is always going to look like the messiah. The one thing that delivers from a life of struggles. However, we know that to be false. “Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!” (Ecclesiastes 5:10 NLT) Kevin Systrom (Instagram co-founder) had this experience after selling his company to Facebook for $1 billion: “the biggest lesson coming into a fair amount of money pretty quickly, was that money itself is no end. It doesn’t make you happy”. A mentor of Systrom’s had warned him that money doesn’t solve many of the hardships that come from being human. “No matter where you are on the spectrum, you struggle in different ways,” Systrom recalled being told.
Money never satisfies. Money at best gives you a false sense of security and then it fails you. Fame is a burden that is more trouble than it is worth. Power without values and virtue corrupts the soul and leads to perdition. Your greatest pursuit should be towards things that would bring real fulfillment. The assurance that your work matters and you are making a difference in the lives of people. When your pursuit of God becomes your top priority, you get it all. With spiritual growth, you outgrow poverty due to increased fruitfulness and productivity. The associated fame is not vain and as God empowers you, you do not become corrupt.
