Distressed for more? This sin has a cure

Priests and pastors agree on one topic: they hear thousands of confessions of sins, but rarely do they hear someone confess the sin of covetousness. This means that this sin is unknown to us. Covetousness is the tenth commandment, viewing this sin as the mother of the other nine. The nine condemned sins are external actions, and the tenth, covetousness, is an internal sin, an attitude. As Christians, by not acknowledging or ignoring covetousness, we are doomed to destruction.

What is covetousness? According to dictionaries, it is a strong desire to have what belongs to others. It also means an excessive desire to have something you don't possess. Furthermore, "Covetousness is a clear dissatisfaction and discontentment with what God has provided for us and a deep desire for what He has forbidden" (Jimmy Chapman). This reminds us of Eve looking at the forbidden fruit in Eden. We read in Exodus 20:17, " You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." What thoughts come to our minds when someone tells us they bought or exchanged their car? How do we feel when we visit someone and, upon entering, we see that this person has a beautiful home? Upon learning of someone's prosperity, do we praise God for blessing that person, or do we try to find fault in that blessing?

God vehemently condemns a man desiring another man's wife or girlfriend. He also despises a woman wanting the husband or boyfriend of another woman. This covetousness is a form of adultery. Desiring what another person possesses reveals something evil, a dangerous root in our hearts. King David brought such destruction upon himself and his family by coveting Bathsheba, leading him to adultery and murder. Achan was stoned for coveting and hiding the spoils from the Babylonians. Ananias and Sapphira fell dead at the apostles' feet because their covetousness led them to lie. Covetousness has the power to dominate and destroy us.

In Mark 7:21, Jesus placed the sin of covetousness alongside sins such as adultery, theft, murder, etc. He also explained that covetousness sprouts from the seed of sin within us. In Luke 12:15, He warns us to avoid desire as it is the root of all other sins: “… “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”” Proverbs 15:27 warns us that a person who covets ruins their family because it says, “The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.” Covetousness is accompanied by arrogance and superiority, an attempt to condemn others as inferior. God hates this attitude in us.

We have struggled against sin without success because we do not know that the root of our evil is covetousness. Or maybe we recognized it but couldn't mortify it, finding ourselves dominated by it. However, there is healing and liberation from this evil, and the biblical prescription is contentment. I heard from Pastor Adrian Rogers that "a person who possesses contentment is always a rich person, and a person who does not have contentment, no matter how much wealth they possess, is always poor."

Contentment is a state of satisfaction that keeps us at peace. There is nothing wrong with desiring something, dreaming of something better. God Himself grants the desires of our hearts. Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” However, He instituted that our lusts should not steal our peace nor lead us to sin, destroying our lives and families. Contentment is something learned. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Contentment is a daily practice that we need to exercise. Think about it: if the Apostle Paul needed to learn contentment, imagine you and me.

Contentment glorifies God because we declare Christ's lordship over us when we are satisfied with our lives. Expressing that God controls our lives and that our trust is in Him. A Jewish man in Hungary went to his rabbi seeking guidance, complaining that his life was unbearable as he and eight other men were living in a single room. The rabbi advised him to bring a goat to live with them in that room and return in a week. He hesitated but followed the rabbi's advice. A week later, he returned to the rabbi even more stressed, saying they couldn't live with the goat because it was too dirty. The rabbi told him again to go home, release the goat, and come back in a week. After eight days, he returned radiant and told the rabbi, "Life is beautiful; we enjoy every minute without that goat."

This illustration shows us that contentment has more to do with perspective than circumstances. Therefore, let's keep our perspectives aligned solely with the Word of God. Let's not be seduced by our own hearts or what is being advertised, what is being shown in the media, and what soap operas try to "sell" us. But let's learn from the Word:

- Trust that He takes care of us. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

- Mortify covetousness. Colossians 3:5 says,” Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” 

- Be grateful. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

- Appreciate simple things. Ecclesiastes 3:12 says, “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.” 

- Learn to be content. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from 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.”

- Learn to love because it’s impossible to covet and love simultaneously. 1 Corinthians 13:4 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

Christ is our satisfaction. There is no contentment outside of Him. To live this fullness in His presence, we need to recognize our sins, repent, and mortify our covetousness to learn to live content and be grateful to God for what He gives us and what He gives to our brothers and friends.

Why is it challenging to identify covetousness within us? Leave your comment below, and if you liked it, share it on your Facebook. Thank you. Hugs, Helia.