The Greenest Grass of All
Posted on August 3, 2008
Exodus 20:17
ONE GREAT TRUTH: We will never be truly and eternally satisfied until we find our satisfaction in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. How many of us have seen a cow with its head stuck so far under the barbed wire that it seemed unlikely it would ever recover? We people are the same way. We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even like – all because of our breaking of this tenth commandment.
The commandment not to covet is, in a sense, the most piercing of all the ten, for it sees far deeper than our actions into our mind and heart and soul. It calls into question the thoughts and intents of the heart. You can claim innocence of the acts of murder and theft, but never of coveting. We are all guilty!
A DEFINITION OF COVETOUSNESS…
There are a lot of ideas about what covetousness is, but I like this one by Adrian Rogers: “To covet means to have an unlawful desire for that which is not rightfully yours. It’s that simple. Desires aren’t wrong, but unlawful desires are.
A CULTURE OF COVETOUSNESS…
We live in the midst of a culture of covetousness. It is ingrained in us to “keep up with the Jones’.” Products and lifestyles are marketed to us in such a way that is hard to resist. This is a generation of consumeristic thinking – we’re taught that we can have… no, musthave it all.
A BIBLICAL HISTORY OF COVETOUSNESS…
Our culture of consumerism is nothing new. It began in the ageless past when Satan coveted the throne of God. The Bible recounts extreme covetousness in the stories of Gehazi, Solomon, Ananias and Sapphira, etc.
FROM COVETOUS TO CONTENT…
Philippians 4:10-20
1. Appreciate what you have.
2. Understand what you (really) need.
3. Find your sufficiency in Christ.
4. Be ready to give to others.
The issue of contentment really boils down to that one question – are you satisfied in Christ?
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