FINANCIAL - COVETOUSNESS
Scripture Reading - Romans 7:7 KJV
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
When speaking about finances we must discuss the subject of “covetousness” because the reason many people get in financial trouble is due to the craftiness of “covetousness”. As noted in this scripture there are three things that work together to harm people that do not exercise financial discipline with genuine love. The three things are sin, lust and covetousness the genuine love of God is happy for the other person to have their own blessing. The order in the scripture places sin first because that is the end result. However, this sin stems from having an inordinate desire in the heart. As Christians we must be quick to judge an inordinate affection as unwelcomed by rebuking the thought or that perverted desire will produce “covetousness” that will fully mature into sin if left unchecked. The scripture calls this seed of ungodliness as lust which is basically a more carnal desire to fulfill its affections and/or passions. The Lord has no problem with a person desiring to own something good but to inwardly seek an object that belongs to another is not good. The Lord created the earth (and the fullness thereof) with enough resources to supply all of man’s physically needs and when it comes to spiritual needs of man the Lord Himself is our source and supplier. Therefore, wanting (longing for, lusting after) the assets (goods, services, talents) of another only points out that some people don’t appreciate what they already have from God. If a man is unthankful in giving God praise for what he already owns why would the Lord be motivated to give that man more. No dear saint, don’t be deceived into thinking that “covetousness” is only limited to the wicked and unbelievers because we have seen warnings of this problem in the New Testament for the Church of Christ. Mark 7:22 tells us that “covetousness” comes from the heart of man. Luke 12:15 warns us to beware of “covetousness” because a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possess. Hebrews 13:5 states that we should not even have “covetousness” in our conversation. 1 Thessalonians 2:5 reminds us that some people wear “covetousness” as a cloak upon their spirit. The fact is “covetousness” is a spiritual tree grown from the root of lust that produces the fruit of sin in the world today. Advertisers key-in on this problem by tempting all people to crave the good things they show and speak about. We all know that spending money should be done with discretion and proper planning but many advertisements entice you to cast-off restraint to get exactly what you want today. They offer you instant credit to complete the transaction immediately which primarily benefits the seller and satisfies this lust of “covetousness” for a short season. The tricky thing about “covetousness” is that it knows no end. Yes, “covetousness” is never satisfied so it is far better to avoid it altogether than to entertain it, even for a moment. Dear Believer, please believe this, “Since God tells us not to “covet” it is for our own good and it is in our own best interest”. So do yourself and love ones a favor by removing this perverted desire of “covetousness” away from yourself and your family members unto the glory of God in Jesus Name. Amen!