THE LANDMINE OF COVETOUSNESS September 3, 2015

Ephesians 5:1-5     Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children  and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God

Matthew 5:48     Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Luke 6:36     Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Ephesians 4:32     Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Philippians 2:15     so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

One of the best-concealed landmines in the life of a believer is covetousness. We tend to think the term simply describes a desire for an item belonging to another person, but it goes deeper than that. Covetousness is an intense yearning for something we do not have, coupled with the belief that we will not be happy or satisfied until we get it.

If we are driven by an insatiable longing that distracts us from our relationship with God, then we are in danger—such intense craving is really a form of idolatry. Our preoccupation with satisfying the desire translates into our placing higher priority on the object than on God. That is the very nature of idol worship.

We all have desires of the heart, and many of these are planted by the Lord Himself. Longings within the framework of God’s will are acceptable. For example, there is nothing in the Scriptures that says it is wrong to want a nice house or a reliable car. God has a purpose, plan, and time worked out to meet our needs and supply legitimate wants. However, when we choose to fulfill a God-given desire in a way that is not in keeping with the Lord’s will, we are guilty of covetousness.

The reason covetousness is so damaging is that it has no end. When we achieve one goal that we thought would satisfy, we discover that we are still not content. So we look to something else that we think will bring satisfaction. But nothing can bring peace and genuine contentment to our heart other than a relationship with Jesus Christ.