"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have."
Hebrews 13:5. NKJV
There is a fear attached to covetousness. At times, to covet is to pursue, urgently, what another person has with a strong need that it must be attained at all costs, even if it means getting into debt. It can be a love of money or belongings - a desire to be better than others. It includes seeking personal recognition and wanting power over other people. A need to be the centre of attention can be an indicator, together with a craving for what other people possess.
God wants us to be content with what He has provided, but jealousy and envy can often take over our urgency, causing us to want more. When this happens, God is not pleased as we can see from Psalm 106:13-15:
'They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel,
(14) but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness; and tested God in the desert,
(15) and He gave them their request, but sent leaness into their soul.'
God had rescued the Israelites from captivity and was leading them to a bright new future. However, they moaned and groaned and wanted things now! They were never satisfied; so consequently they paid the price and didn't receive their blessing.
Some people covet people's houses, wealth, wife or husband, car, job and their success. When they see what others have in comparison to what they possess, they become ungrateful, and then are never satisfied. Some have said that covetousness is akin to ambition - wanting to succeed and be happy; and some of this may well be true. But God knows whether it is ambition or greed; there is a major difference. We really should have a strong need to be content with what we have. It could so easily be taken away from us in the blink of an eye.
If our goals in life are God-centred, He will help us to achieve them. But if we're asking Him for something just because a neighbour or relative have it, we will be disappointed. Covetousness is the total opposite of contentment and there is a need to check ourselves to ascertain which one we lean towards. He will not smite us from the face of the earth, if we lean towards covetousness. He knows we're only human and have many weaknesses. However, He will expect us to monitor this and make some changes. If we do, He will keep sending us blessings. If we don't receive many blessings, we will have an idea that we still have some tweaking to do.
Where do you stand on this? Are you content with what you have but have the ambition to want to make some positive changes? If so, you will be blessed. If you lean towards covetousness, lay it before Jesus and ask Him to help you get things right. God has so much for each of us and therefore, we have no need to want what others have.
Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard
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