Do Not Covet

October 12, 2022
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Exodus 20:17, Hebrews 13:5

I am writing from our dining room table where I can look out the windows, listen to the rain drizzle, the birds chirp, and see the leaves of the trees beginning to turn into a vast array of Fall colors. To say I am blessed would be an understatement, and at the same time I still want more. This is a very frustrating part of my faith walk with Christ. It is good to review the ten commandments from time to time, and today, I will look at number ten.

The word “covet” can be synonymous with the word “envy”. My Websters New Collegiate Dictionary defines covet: “To wish for enviously, a strong desire for what belongs to another…To have a strong desire for wealth or possessions”. Hebrews 13:5 reminds Christ followers to “keep your lives free of the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”. So, it would seem to be content would be the opposite of being envious. Makes sense, and yet, are you? Are you completely content? (I am asking myself the same question ). Honestly, the answer for me is no. I want to be, I long to be, I need to be completely content, but time and time again I find myself wishing for something different, something easier, something newer.

Pastor Mehl challenges me in the last chapter of his book The Ten(der) Commandments; “Contentment, I believe, is the bottom line of this commandment. God knows very well what happens to people when they are caught up in unbridled envy. What God really intends for us is that we would be contented…contented with who we are…contented with what we have…contented with Him” (pg.228). If you are facing a tough time, and wonder how this even applies to you, please know, that I too have experienced trying to make ends meet, even when I was working as hard as I could. That’s when my family and I experienced the “economics of Jesus”, a term I learned when I worked with Habitat for Humanity in Americus Georgia back in the early 80’s. It was there, as a single person, God trained me how to manage the resources I had and even learn to live on a $15.00 a week grocery budget. Sometimes, I had to ask for help, and sometimes, you might have to ask for help. The idea here, as with all God’s commands, is to trust him with all you have and all you are and watch Him grow you more and more into who He intends for you to be. I know I am a work in progress and I am learning, even right now, to trust Him more.

AMEN