SAVORING THE FRUIT OR SOILING IT?

March 1, 2026

 

 

“Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!” Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

When I was a teenager, my family took a day trip to Macon, Georgia to spend time together. We had lunch at Ryan’s and the buffet cost $8 per person. I ate two plates of food and was full. One of my cousins looked at me and asked what was wrong because I had only eaten two plates. I told him I was full. His response? “You’re wasting money. You should eat one plate for every dollar it cost you. Since you won’t eat more, I’ll eat more for you.” And he did — six more plates on top of what he had already eaten.

 

Even though I was satisfied, he encouraged me to be greedy because I had access to more. That moment explains what often happens to us when we gain access to more: Instead of stewarding it well, we feel pressure to consume it.

 

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬ tells us “People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.” When we scroll online, we see lavish lifestyles: luxury trips, designer labels, and beautiful homes. But we don’t see what it takes to maintain and manage it. We don’t see the mental stamina required to keep generating income, the weight of large payrolls and endless bills, the pressure of maintaining status, or the uncertainty of who is only loyal to access. The money may be flowing, but peace may not be. We have to be careful not to idolize what looks abundant if we are not equipped to manage it.

 

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the master and his three servants. The master entrusted them with money according to their abilities: five bags of silver to one, two to another, and one to the last. The first two doubled what they were given, but the third buried his. He didn’t misplace or lose it, he failed to steward it. More isn’t just about access, it’s about management.

 

It can be easy to forget that God is El Shaddai, the God of more than enough. But financially, it often feels like what we have is never enough, yet money is not the only currency required to survive in this world. You may desire more, but do you excel in financial management? Time management? People management? Emotional management? More requires maturity.

 

“Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

Your fruit may not look like someone else’s fruit but you still have fruit: a home, family, love, peace, stability, not the headaches that come with managing greater abundance. Don’t overlook what’s at your table trying to sit at another.