"If you do get the cheese… you're still the rat." Long week. Full calendar. Running hard. A lot of us are on a wheel we don't know how to get off: chasing the next raise, the next upgrade, the next thing that's finally supposed to feel like enough. In Week 1 of our new series #RatRace, Pastor Cory opens Ecclesiastes 5, where the richest man of his day says plainly what the wheel never tells you. ✅ The cheese never satisfies. Enough keeps moving. That's the #HedonicTreadmill. ✅ The cheese never sleeps. What keeps you up at 2 a.m. often shows what has your heart. ✅ The cheese never stays. You came in with nothing, and everything in between is on loan. ✅ You were never meant to be a rat. In the kingdom of God, you're a son or daughter of the King, invited to His table. Whether you're a student chasing the GPA, a parent trying to give your kids everything, or someone watching the number in the nest egg, this one's for you. Different wheels. Same race. And Jesus offers a way off. #Ecclesiastes #Contentment #Jesus 📖 Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:10–16 (NIV) 📅 Rat Race runs every Sunday in October. Next week: The Trap. 🏠 ABOUT REDEMPTION Redemption Church is a community in Kirkwood, MO, helping people meet, know, and live for Jesus. We'd love to have you join us in person or online. 🌐 Website: redemptionstl.com 📍 820 Lockett Rd. Kirkwood, MO 63122 📱 Follow us: @redemptionstl 💛 Give: redemptionstl.com/give 💬 Questions about faith? Reply in the comments — we'd love to talk. 👉New here? We'd love to connect with you — visit redemptionstl.com to plan your visit or find a small group. #RedemptionKirkwood #Ecclesiastes #Contentment #HedonicTreadmill #Jesus #KirkwoodMO #StLouisChurch Rat Race, The Wheel, Rat Race sermon, Ecclesiastes 5, Ecclesiastes 5:10, sermon on contentment, contentment, hedonic treadmill, never enough, burnout, rat race of life, ambition, chasing more, meaningless, under the sun, Solomon, Cory Ball, Pastor Cory Ball, Redemption Community Church, Redemption Kirkwood, Kirkwood MO, Kirkwood church, St. Louis church, church in St. Louis, Christian sermon, Jesus, sermon 2026