Law of Diminishing Returns

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The Law of Diminishing Returns is based on the idea that the more that you do anything, the less it satisfies. We all desire to be satisfied so this principal has huge implications for our passions in life. Our relationship with God is the one exception to this law.

As we study the Old Testament, we learn that many nations bowed down to idols. They made golden calves and elaborate poles to symbolize the various gods that they worshipped. It’s easy to look down on them and believe that we would never do anything like that. The truth is that we have our own version of “golden calves.” We make idols out of many things - money, status, appearance, hobbies and even our favorite sports teams.   

The first of the Ten Commandments provide very clear instruction from God regarding idols:

Exodus 20:3-4 You shall have no other gods before me.

By citing “other gods” in this commandment, doesn’t that make the assumption that there are “other gods?” The answer is both yes and no. Notice that the letter g in “other gods” is not capitalized. When we refer to the true God, we always capitalize the G. There is only one “big G” God; however, we are guilty of making “little g” gods. “Little g” gods are the idols of our culture and are created by us just like the golden calves of the Old Testament.  

The Law of Diminishing Returns applies directly to our idols. They never fully satisfy us and will always lead to frustration and emptiness. Many of the idols we create are not bad things. We are free to enjoy our work, take care of our bodies, invest wisely and enjoy leisure time. However, when we allow any of these to become imbalances in our lives and compete with our affection for God, we run the risk of creating a “little g” god.

Idols easily draw our attention because they are visible and part of our daily lives. Culture deceives us and tells us that we will be happy and satisfied we have them. Ultimately, we must learn the truth of diminishing returns or we will just to move on to another idol with the same promise of satisfaction.   

How do we know if we have idols in our lives? We must begin by asking ourselves if there is anything that competes with our love for God and disproportionately occupy our thoughts, time and resources? Idols live in those places.

Jesus tells us how we can be satisfied in the opening passage of his famous Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Ultimate satisfaction in this life comes from pursuing the everlasting God - not the temporal allures of this world. As we “hunger and thirst” for His righteousness, we find the only true source of satisfaction.