Life isn’t fair! I don’t know how often I have said these words aloud in exasperation or quietly to myself. I know I shouldn’t envy or covet, but I tend to push the boundaries.
When I was younger, my mother and I went to town. I looked out the car window and saw a pickup truck beside us pulling a beautiful, brand-new fishing boat. I remember saying, “Wow, I want that boat.”
My mother gave me a condensed version of the meaning of the commandment “Thou shalt not covet.” She said, “You’re not supposed to say it like that. You’re supposed to say, “Wow, I’d like to have a boat like that.”
I have never forgotten the quick little lesson she gave me that day. Scripture admonishes us to free ourselves from the spirit of covetousness, envy, and discontent. Not to let things become our first love. We get a false sense of security when we obtain things like others have. We feel left behind if we do not accumulate them. This produces discontentment, which is never satisfied and makes life seem unfair.
We have security in God because He gives life meaning (Hebrews 13:5). Things depreciate and lose their value. When we live for Jesus, we have everything. The Bible tells us we are joint heirs with Him. We have access to the riches of heaven. We are children of the King, and He owns all the wealth of this world. We will walk on streets of gold, own a mansion, and join Him one day for the great marriage supper of the Lamb. This is true wealth, spiritual wealth, that surpasses all material riches.
God created a space within us that only He can fill, so His image would merge with ours. This purpose is a sure and eternal reward. Earthly things we covet are fleeting. They do not bring lasting satisfaction. Only the love and blessings of Jesus can fill the void in our hearts and lead to contentment.
To conquer the temptation of coveting transient things of this world, let Jesus satisfy your heart with the abundant blessings He freely gives.
Steve Mills is a writer.