Chasing After Work and Money

“Work is important in this world. Money is important. But the bottom line is that as long as we strive to find our satisfaction and purpose in work or money, we are doomed to a life of meaningless futility. We are built for Eden, after all. Billions and billions of dollars cannot be enough for those of us who have been ejected from God’s Paradise. We can never be happy with anything short of restoration to the Garden, and only Jesus can provide that. Our work in a fallen world will always frustrate us if we make it an idol. Whenever we depend on money and work to shield ourselves from cruelty, sorrow, loneliness and need, we will run up against the futility of labor under the sun. But is this the final word? Of course not. God has a good pleasure for our struggles with work and money. But first he wants us to face our illusion that we can find any level or real happiness in what we do or how much we earn.”

Dan Allender & Tremper Longman III, Breaking the Idols of Your Heart, pp. 81f.