Covetousness

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"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say, 'The LORD is my helper; I will not fear, what can man do to me?' "
                                                                                                        Hebrews 13:5-6  NKJV

Today, let us look at the subject of covetousness. Acting in this way includes, seeking personal recognition and wanting power over others. It means trying to be the centre of attention and craving for what other people have. This can include:

A house, wealth, someone's wife or husband, car, job, and success to name some of the things that covetousness covers.

Does this ring a bell with you? If so, you need to address this urgently. Being ungrateful for what God has given us, along with moaning, groaning and grumbling about it all and never, ever being satisfied, angers God. He wants us to be content with what He has given us in Jesus. This is far better than craving for what someone else has been given. You're not them; you are yourself and that's the way God intended you to be. 

As I've said earlier, God becomes angry when we're ungrateful. Take a look at Psalm 106:

'They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request but sent leanness into their soul'. ( Verses 13-15 ). 

Moans and dis-satisfaction with how God was treating them. A closer look at the Israelites departure from Egypt will show how they quarrelled and complained on a daily basis.

One thing is for sure, if your goals are God-centred, He will help you to achieve them. But if you're asking Him for something just because your neighbour has it, you'll be disappointed. Yes, some people win the lottery, but really, it is pure luck that they do. Also, in a way, they're being covetous by trying to feed their greed and get that fancy house, boat and film star life-style. You can pray to win the lottery but I personally think you'll be wasting your time. Just be content with what you have.

What is the point in craving and coveting what someone else has, only to die just when you've received it. It's pointless.

God wants us to be rich and healthy, yes, but in Jesus, not in any other way. If He wants you to have that nice, fancy house, He'll give it you. But until He does, be content with what you have. Do you realise that some people in the Third World countries have nothing, except Jesus. They don't live in comfort like we do. Some are murdered for their faith. Many are raped or imprisoned. And yet, their faith and dedication to God would make us feel embarrassed. They literally trust Jesus from one day to the next, for their daily needs. They can't go down to the cashpoint and draw some extra funds out, like we do. What they have, is the bare essentials.

We don't realise at times our fortunate we are. This is why, we need to give God the Glory and thank Him each day for what He has given us.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com