You Shall Not Covet

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,
which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5 ESV
A wise man has said, “A covetous man will always be poor.” This reminds me of the common
statement from people who grew up in the Great Depression of the 1930s: “I guess we were
poor, but we didn’t know it.” Now poverty is a serious issue, and we need to do all we can to
eliminate its causes. But these two statements illustrate the fact that whether we believe
ourselves poor is often as much a matter of attitude as it is a matter of economic condition.
It has sometimes been said that the tenth commandment is saying the same thing as the first
commandment, only in different words. That is, if we believe that we can only be happy if we
possess everything (and more) that our neighbor possesses, then we are worshipping material
affluence and not the living God. This is what Paul is saying in the Scripture above.
But the fact is that much of the American economy is built upon the attempt to make each of us
more covetous. Think of it, how much does thirty seconds of airtime cost during the Super
Bowl? Multiple millions of dollars. And why? To try to create a need in the viewers for
something that they do not possess and really do not need. But your neighbors have these things,
shouldn’t you? The result is that most Americans feel poor, when even the poor among us are
rich according to world averages.
So what should you and I do to avoid becoming covetous? Paul says it in just eight words (in
English): “Rejoice always, pray constantly, in everything give thanks” (1 Thess 5:16). There it
is! If your sins are forgiven, and you are a child of the Father, and heaven is your birthright, you
have every reason to rejoice. Sing! If you have instant access to the throne room of heaven, use it,
for heaven’s sake. Pray! If those two conditions are so, then you don’t need to focus on what you
don’t have, but on what you do! Be thankful! Chances are that if you follow this prescription,
you will soon be amazed, and grateful, at how well off you are! Joyful, prayerful, thankful
people are rich beyond compare.