Beware Of Covetousness

-June 8, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. “

(Luke 12:15).

Jesus warned His listeners of the danger of covetousness. Covetousness in the Bible is an insatiable desire for worldly gain. It is the desire to find fulfillment, meaning, and purpose in things instead of God. It is the intense longing to have something or someone who belongs to another. It is covered in the tenth commandment which says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Eve was the first to covet when she desired the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:6 says, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Covetousness is the mother of all sins.

A man came to Jesus asking Him to tell his brother to share the inheritance with him. Jesus refused to get involved in the family dispute, but rather gave the stern warning against covetousness. He proceeded to tell a parable of a rich fool who decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones to store all his crops for the future. All he would do is eat, drink, and be merry; Little did he know that he would die suddenly and lose everything when he died. Those who live to accumulate money and material things with no regard for God, will suffer the same horrible fate.

Nowadays, our possessions are different. We pursue money, houses, cars, clothes, tech gadgets, jewelry, and so much more. It is so foolish because we will leave everything behind when we die. All we have is our soul which is either saved by Jesus or lost. Millions make the wrong choice, the foolish choice. Few decide to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. The broad road leads to destruction whereas the narrow road leads to eternal life.

As believers saved by grace, we need to seek God’s will and desire to please Him, being content with what God has given us. Desiring more leads to the sin of covetousness. The heart of man always wants more. Proverbs 30:8-9, shows the middle ground we should desire, “Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches —Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.’” It is not wrong to be rich if riches are gained lawfully, but it wrong to desire riches ahead of the Lord.

May the Lord help us to take heed and beware of covetousness. Our lives don’t consist of things that will one day perish or be lost or stolen. Our blessings in Christ last forever and make us the richest people of all.

Have a blessed day seeking the eternal, heavenly things over the temporal, earthly things. Where our treasure is, there our hearts will be. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean