Coveting to Contentment

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”

How do I know if coveting is having an impact on me, my relationship with God and also others? 

Symptom #1:  Selfishness - We fail to put others before ourselves

When I’m coveting something - it’s all about me.  I need to have the advantage.  I need to get there first.  I need to take care of myself.  I can’t wait.  No one else can do this.  God I got this.  They can’t go in front of me.  My prayers are about me.  My spending is about me.  My investments are about me and my comfort and security.  My debt load shows it’s about me.  My schedule is about me.  

Jesus addressed this head on when He was walking on Earth.  Thousands of people are around Him as he is teaching and someone yells out from the crowd - “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”  You have the king of the universe who is doing these amazing healings and the very presence of God and this person wanted money?  Jesus tells him to go to someone else for that and says then speaks out this parable encouraging people to be on guard against all forms of covetousness: 

Luke 12:16-21:  “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”  

16 times the foolish man refers to himself and his things.  If your #1 focus is about you then it is a strong symptom that you have believed the lie that there isn’t enough at the Table and instead need to find fulfillment somewhere else.   

And selfishness leads you to use people and forget about people.

And it brings distance between you and them.  The end result is that you end up being by yourself.  No one wants to be around you as you’ve made your way forward at the expense of others.  

Symptom #2:  Comparison

Another symptom that coveting is present in your heart is that you consistently compare yourself with others.  

What I’ve learned in my life is that it can happen all the time.  We can compare my marriage to your marriage, my spouse to your spouse, my in laws to your in laws, my job to your job, my paycheck to your paycheck, my clothes to your clothes, my degree to your degree, my vacation to your vacation…...think about for a second - who was the last person you compared yourself or your life to?  

When comparison reigns, resentment follows.  

• We Resent the gifts in and to others and it leads to distance from them and judgment of them (whether we believe they have more or less than us).  Sometimes it even leads to us competing with them.
• We Resent God’s goodness and gifts to us…...which leads to lack of use of gifts in us and a negative, ungrateful attitude

THE CURE - An open and ongoing invitation to the Table that is full

2,000 years ago, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit saw our covetous condition, had compassion on us, and Jesus came.  Throughout his ministry on Earth Jesus would stand and proclaim in a loud voice,

• “I am the bread of Life!  Eat and you will never be hungry.  
• I am the living water.  Drink and you will never be thirsty.  
• I have come that you might have LIFE and have it to the FULL.  
• Behold, I am with you always - even to the end of the age! 

Jesus meant what He said.  He was speaking Truth.  He resisted the temptation to covet, sacrificed His life because of His desire for us to really live, and was resurrected three days later to offer us victory and freedom in this area of our life.  And then, through faith in Jesus, He sends His spirit to live within us and bring the Table within us.  The Table is no longer a place we go but an identity we live from. This is the starting point God desires for all of us.  

DAILY APPLICATION OF TRUTH

This truth is incredible to us and I have learned that it must be applied in our lives each day.  It is like getting dressed each day - we have to put on contentment and fight for it.  Each day entrusting our desires and being inspired with His.  It is ongoing because the lies come at us all the time.  Here are some practical ways you can fight for contentment:

• Be in Communion with Him
• A simple thank you each day to God
• Praise the goodness of God in others
• Give first and consistently - orient your budget and schedule this way (not later but now mentality)
• Remember how hungry people are:  You have abundance - offer it to others.  Let’s transform our region together.    

Resources to study further:

Books

• Satisfied by Jeff Manion
• The Envy of Eve - Melissa Kruger

Scripture Passages:

• Hebrews 13:5-6
• James 4:1-3
• Luke 12:13-34
• John 6:35-37
• Haggai 1:5-6
• I Timothy 6:17-19
• I Timothy 6:6-10
• II Corinthians 8:9
• Romans 13:9-10
• Colossians 3:1-5
• Isaiah 55:1-3

RightNow Media Resources:

• Balanced - Andy Stanley
• The Treasure Principle - Randy Alcorn