The Pursuit of More: Why Having Everything Still Leaves Us Empty

We live in a world obsessed with accumulation. More pleasure. More achievements. More money. More recognition. The underlying belief? That having more of something will make us something more.

But what if that's a lie?

When Good Things Go Bad

The ancient wisdom of Ecclesiastes presents us with a fascinating case study: a man who had literally everything. He was smarter than anyone around him, wealthier beyond measure, accomplished more than most could dream, and experienced every pleasure life could offer. Yet his conclusion was startling: it was all meaningless.

This isn't the perspective of someone who never had enough. This is the testimony of someone who had it all and discovered that "all" wasn't enough.

God's Good Gifts

Let's be clear from the start: God is not against us having good things. This is crucial to understand. Christianity isn't about abstinence—it's about abundance. Jesus himself said he came to give us life, and life more abundantly.

God is the giver of all good things. He designed physical pleasure, blessed us with unique abilities to achieve, and has no problem with his children experiencing financial blessing. Throughout Scripture, we see God blessing people like Abraham, Joseph, David, and Solomon with tremendous wealth and success.

Physical pleasure? God's idea. He designed intimacy between husband and wife knowing full well how procreation worked. He could have chosen any method for multiplying humanity, but he chose one that would bring couples together in profound connection.

Achievement and accomplishment? God gave us talents and abilities specifically so we could do great things. We're created in the image of a creative God who builds, designs, and brings order from chaos.

Financial prosperity? God has used successful Christians throughout history to build His kingdom on earth. Without generous believers with means, countless ministries, churches, and kingdom works would never have happened.

The problem isn't with having these things. The problem is what happens when we try to find our meaning in them.

The Law of Diminishing Returns

Here's where things get interesting—and tragic. When we worship the gift instead of the gift giver, something predictable happens: the more we have, the less it satisfies us.

Consider the pursuit of physical pleasure. One person described keeping company with a different woman every night, trying to fill a void. "In those moments after," he admitted, "I knew that it wasn't working. Yet, the next day I convinced myself to do it again." When pleasure becomes the point rather than the blessing, it loses its power to satisfy. What should add to life through connection instead becomes a burden focused on avoiding consequences.

Or look at achievement. The very person who accomplished more than almost anyone in history concluded: "As I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—it was like chasing the wind." Ernest Hemingway won the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, achieved worldwide fame as a war correspondent, explorer, and philosopher, yet before his death said, "Life is a dirty trick, a short journey from nothingness to nothingness."

And money? If someone who used gold for cutlery and silver for gravel couldn't find meaning in wealth, what chance do we have? As one poet famously observed, "The more money we make, the more problems we have." Statistics bear this out: rates of depression and suicide are actually higher among the wealthy.

The Multiplication Problem

Here's the mathematical reality: you can't get more meaning from things that are ultimately meaningless. It's like multiplying by zero—the answer is always zero. One times zero equals zero. One thousand times zero equals zero. One million times zero is still zero.

This is why the strategy of "just a little bit more" never works. We tell ourselves: "If I just had a better sex life, I'd be happy." "If I just achieved this next goal, I'd feel fulfilled." "If I just made this much money, I'd be satisfied."

But Solomon tried that experiment for us. He had over a thousand women. He built architectural wonders. He accumulated wealth beyond imagination. His conclusion? "Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure... But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—it was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere."

So what's the answer? If having more doesn't work, what does?

Having more of God.

Only God can take the good things He's given us and infuse them with lasting meaning. When we use God's gifts according to God's design, they increase rather than decrease in value.

Physical intimacy within the covenant of marriage fulfills God's purpose. It brings couples closer to each other and to Him. It's guilt-free, consequence-positive, and creates emotional healing rather than hurt. It brings the potential of new life rather than death. It doesn't fill us with shame but sets us free.

When our self-worth is rooted in God rather than our achievements, we're free to use our gifts for His glory rather than our own validation. Our work becomes worship. We begin to understand that one soul saved by grace has more value than a million dollars earned. We start thinking about legacy differently—not what money we'll leave behind (which statistically causes more fights than blessings), but what spiritual inheritance we're passing on.

The ancient wisdom concludes with this: "Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty."

This isn't restrictive—it's liberating. When we align our lives with God's design, the good things He's given us become genuinely good again. They serve their intended purpose rather than becoming hollow idols.

You can't take it with you. But you can invest in what lasts forever.

The question isn't whether you'll pursue more. The question is: more of what? More stuff that multiplies by zero? Or more of the One who gives everything meaning?

Having more God in our lives gives our lives more meaning. Because having more God makes everything else mean more.

Stop chasing the wind. Start chasing the Wind-Maker.

In faith,

Pastor Mike Rubino