John D Rockefeller, once the richest man in the world, had three simple rules for anyone who wanted to become rich: go to work early; stay at work late; and find oil. He was also the man who, when asked how much you need to be happy, answered: ‘Just a little bit more.’
But over against that stand the words of the Bible: ‘Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said: ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.’ Being obsessed with making money eventually brings the very opposite of what we want – not contentment; just the guarantee we’ll never find it – like trying to satisfy our thirst by drinking seawater. The Bible says: ‘Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.’ That’s the key to contentment.