Verse of the Day

Today's Verse

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

Devotion

What does it mean to covet something? It is to have an inordinate desire for something that rightfully belongs to somebody else. “You shall not covet” is the tenth of the Ten Commandments. From it we learn that it is possible to covet virtually anything: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s,” (Exodus 20:17).

There’s nothing wrong with desiring something; however, when what we desire is out of line with the will of God for us, then our desire has been misplaced. Desiring what rightfully belongs to somebody else is a prime example of misplaced desire. It is selfish in nature, because it ignores the rightful claim to something that belongs to somebody else. It is easy to see why God forbade covetousness.

When we covet what belongs to somebody else, we are also showing discontent with what we have, although God gives us everything we need. The Apostle Paul tells us, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content,” (Philippians 4:11), but the covetous don’t learn this lesson. To be covetous, then, is a deeply frustrating and unhappy state of being, because the covetous cannot be happy until they feel equal with their neighbor.

In the final analysis, covetousness is the failure to believe that God will take care of us and provide for us; the failure to believe that God will never leave us nor forsake us. The covetous are not grateful for what God has already given them and are not willing to wait for Him to provide for legitimate needs they have. Instead, the covetous desire what God has provided for someone else.

Today, be content with what God has given you. Trust Him to provide whatever else you may need. And don’t set your eyes on what belongs to somebody else.