The Law of Diminishing Returns

Tilly loves to play with her blue ball outside.  Every morning after working in the kennel (that would be ME doing the work, not her), she races to the ball, pounces on it with great exuberance and brings it to me to throw or kick. 

When she gets tired of retrieving it, she sits and rips it into tiny pieces.  There's no point in explaining to her that little by little, she is expending the life of her favorite toy.

Our Wednesday night Bible study is going through Ecclesiastes this summer.  Salomon had all the riches in the world, plenty of "toys" if you will.  But they didn't satisfy him.  The more he got, the more  he needed, exhausting them until there was nothing left.  Ultimately, his mass consumption of enjoyments led to their ineffectiveness.  He needed more, but he got less.  The law of diminishing returns.

When we put our priorities in order, we can enjoy the gifts in our lives without exhausting them.  The Lord's provisions to us are to be balanced, not the central focus of our pursuits.  Whether food, wine, partying, power, romance, or amassing possessions, these pursuits can lead us empty after we've worn them out. 

Don't tear your life to pieces.  Seek God first, then all these other things are cast in their appropriate light.