To covet something is to have a burning desire for something that you are not authorized to have. Whether it is your neighbor's wife, or your neighbor's things, the principle remains the same.

We are, in many ways, the most spoiled generation that has ever lived. The concept of self-denial, or self-control, is a foreign one in this day of instant gratification and indulgence. That some things are "out of bounds" to us is an affront to the "me first" spirit of the day.

So why would the Lord tell us no in both these areas? Could it be as simple as the fact that He, and He alone, knows how society works and doesn't work? Could it be that He is very interested in the maximum safety and well being for all of us?

With all the heated debate over so called "gay marriage," we have lost our focus of an even bigger issue . . . the survival of marriage itself. Marriage has become a convenience issue, far more that the covenant issue that the Lord intended.

The rationale for affairs has become, "But he or she makes me happy; don't I have a right to be happy?" The same goes for coveting someone else's things. I actually heard of a woman who moved to Oregon specifically because she deemed it to be a very liberal place (to do with the gender issue, I think). In the very next sentence, she bemoaned the fact that there was no job for her! The very clear tone was one of entitlement.

We covet because we assume that we are entitled to things or people whether the Lord approves or not. Let's take time to get into the Word to see what He has to say. After all, it is His approval that really matters.

Pastor Jim
July 11, 2004