`Don’t covet`: God’s tenth and final commandment. A surprisingly vital one: Edith Schaeffer says it’s the root of many of the others we might break. (Think about it…) And it’s serious: `You may be sure of this`, says God, strikingly, `that everyone who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ` (Eph 5:5). Ah…
Why is it so serious? Well, it’s striking that, when Jesus quotes the ten commandments in Matthew 19, He rephrases this one as `love your neighbour as yourself`. And that is one of the two `greatest commandments` (Matthew 22), indeed it’s the fulfilment of the entire law (Romans 13). Why does He make this change? Presumably to show us what’s truly at stake here, the real point of this tenth command. Basically, if we demand (covet) more and more for ourselves, we can’t deploy the things God’s entrusted to us where they’re most needed: eg for the poor, which is the issue Christ moves straight onto (Matt 19:21). Russian writer Alexander Men quotes Jesus’ words in an apocryphal gospel: `How can you say you have fulfilled the Law and the Prophets? After all it is said in the Law: “Love thy neighbour as thyself”, and a multitude of your brothers wear pitiful rags and are dying from hunger, and your home is bursting with riches, none of which go to them.` If I truly love my neighbour as myself, their needs will matter to me as much as my own. But who is my neighbour? Jesus replied in the story of the good samaritan: anyone I’m in any contact with that I can bless (Luke 10). Coveting is wanting what my neighbour has; love, positively, is wanting my neighbour’s needs to be met just like my own…
Loving my neighbour as myself means that each major financial decision I make is made in the context of their need too. The fact that I have the money for something isn’t the same as having God’s OK to use it that way; the question is rather, God, what I’ve got here is all Your money, how much do You want me to spend on myself? So once we see Jesus making it so crucial that we escape from slavery to selfish coveting, how do we break free? If it’s one of the two `greatest commandments` it’s a huge issue; so here are six practical ideas this post, saving five for next…
• Freedom starts with our desires. `People who want to be rich fall into a trap`, says Paul (1 Tim 6). Desire is central to our nature: it’s our desires that shape our actions, and determine where we invest our efforts. The question is, what am I longing for? (Lord, what are the longings – covetings?- that drop into my mind in free moments?) Let’s not allow the coveting of money or things become what we live for; in the end it will ruin our joy. `Be on your guard against all covetousness`, warned Jesus carefully (Luke 12:15)…
• See through the trick – `If only I had that, I would be happy!` And disciple our kids to do the same, before the media gets them! Maybe heckle the ads as you watch TV together: `But it isn’t worth the money!` `But we can’t take it with us!` `Who are you trying to fool?`
• Liberation means being radical. Don’t `conform to this world’ (Rom 12:2) says God; which must mean acting differently, breaking free from the manipulation of fashion. `Must-haves` actually aren’t! Especially, let’s beware of coveting updates – gadgets that were wonderful a year ago can be bought at 50% off now because there’s a new version with features we don’t actually need! (But make sure you do something good with the money you save!)
• Train yourself to handle the covetous desires; fast periodically from buying some luxury, and give away the money instead.
• Love of money and things is an addiction like any other. How do addicts break free from addiction? By cutting it off, then getting into community with others with the same vision for freedom. (So, not a church where everyone wears Louis Vuitton!) This includes seeking a spouse with the same vision!
• Grasp the potential of our liberation! In heaven we’ll meet people who will tell us how their lives were changed because we learned not to covet: `My son didn’t die because, instead of spending that money on yourself, you…` `I was given a Bible, became a Christian, started a church, and we changed my town, because instead of spending that money on yourself, you…`
Greed, covetousness, is actually something quite fatal, says God (Eph 5:5). And all the time it controls us we could be `laying up treasure in heaven` – what Jesus calls the `true riches` (Luke 16:11). In every way, this is a big issue! So five more practical steps to freedom next time…
