TRUE value is not always what it seems to be. The largest bank note issued in the United States had a face value of $10,000. Yet, the paper on which it is printed is worth only a few cents.

Have you ever wondered if pieces of paper that have little intrinsic value can give real meaning to your life? Many people think that they can. Millions work night and day in order to earn as much money as they possibly can. Sometimes the pursuit of money means sacrificing their health, their friends, and even their family. To what avail? Can money​—or what we buy with it—​bring real and lasting satisfaction?

According to researchers, the more we seek satisfaction based on material possessions, the less likely we are to find it. Journalist Alfie Kohn concludes that “satisfaction simply is not for sale. . . . People for whom affluence is a priority in life tend to experience an unusual degree of anxiety and depression as well as a lower overall level of well-being.”​—International Herald Tribune.

AN ANCIENT proverb says: “Do not toil to gain riches. Cease from your own understanding. Have you caused your eyes to glance at it, when it is nothing? For without fail it makes wings for itself like those of an eagle and flies away toward the heavens.” (Proverbs 23:4, 5) In other words, it is not wise to wear ourselves out trying to become rich, for wealth can fly away as on an eagle’s wings.

As the Bible shows, material wealth can disappear quickly. It may vanish overnight because of a natural disaster, an economic slump, or other unforeseen occurrences. Moreover, even those who achieve material success are often disillusioned. Consider the case of John, whose work involved entertaining politicians, sports figures, and royalty.

John states: “I gave my job everything I had. I prospered financially, stayed in luxury hotels, and sometimes I even went to work by private jet. At first I enjoyed it, but gradually I became bored. The people I catered to seemed superficial. There was no substance to my life.”