Last but not least

I’m going to guess that most of my readers have heard of the ten commandments. I’m also going to guess that most of you think that the ten commandments should be kept.

So how about this one: “Thou shalt not covet…” (Ex. 20:17) According to the American Heritage Dictionary (found online at dictionary.com), to covet means “to feel blameworthy desire for that which is another’s.” Envy is the most common synonym. Envy is defined by dictionary.com as “a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.” Desire for something that does not belong to you, discontent with your own circumstances.

That’s a hard one to swallow. “Thou shalt not covet…” Does that really rank up there with “Thou shalt not murder”, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”, “Thou shalt not steal”? After all, coveting is something everyone does, right?

I’ve been slowly coming to discover that covetousness is a huge stronghold in my life. It seems almost every day I find something new to covet. I covet my neighbor’s husband and children. I covet the house she owns. I covet her car, her hair, her garden. I covet my neighbor’s artistic ability, or her athletic ability. I covet her three piece suit. I covet her job, or her assistantship. I covet her schedule, or lack thereof. Today, I covet her deep freeze.

Yet covetousness is not something to be taken lightly. Romans 1:29 lists envy among the sins that people who are “filled with all unrighteousness” commit. I Corinthians 3:3 describes envy as being a carnal behavior–one that mere men commit (not those who are filled with the Spirit of God). Galatians 5:21 lists envy as one of the evident works of the flesh–and states that those who practice such things shall not enter the kingdom of God. James 3:16 says that “where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” Envy is not some sort of “little white” sin. It’s a big deal, capital offense, capital letter SIN.

Yet I tolerate it so often. I rationalize sin in my mind. “You’re just coveting her husband–it’s not like you’re lusting after him.” Uh. No. That’s not the way it works, Rebekah. Sin is sin. “How could you not covet that life?” Scripture says that God won’t give you temptation beyond what you can bear.

What is the antidote to covetousness? Philippians 4:11 “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” And how do I do that? Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Lord, strengthen me, that I might say with Paul: “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (Philippians 4:12) Help me to learn–whether single or married, whether a student or a working woman, whether young or old, whether fat or skinny, whether well-dressed or with nothing to wear–to be content.