Be Thankful, not Covetous

We had another wonderful Thanksgiving. We were able to go to Crystal's parents where our boys got to see cousins, aunts, uncles, Grandma, and Grandpa. I enjoyed visiting and playing a game of Scrabble. I also enjoyed the meal. There was turkey, ham, potatoes, gravy, string beans, corn, cranberries, numerous kinds of pickles, bread, crackers, pickled herring, jello, punkin pie, apple pie, other desserts, etc, etc. There was much to be thankful for as we sat down to eat. In fact there was so much good food that I did not even notice until later that there was no stuffing. I was so appreciative of the abundance we had. There was no thought of what we lacked.
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If we end up focusing on what we do not have instead of what we do have, it is easy to become a complainer rather than a thankful person. We actually witnessed that when we sat down to eat the evening meal. Our boys were given leftovers from the noon meal and one of them responded by asking, “didn't we just have this?”
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As we drove home, I turned on the radio and we heard about some orphans from Ukraine who were brought to a McDonald's for the first time in their life. A little six year old girl was unaware that they could get free refills, yet she still shared her drink with her little sister. Another little girl only ate half of her hamburger, because she wanted to share the other half with a friend back at the orphanage. They all saved their empty happy meal boxes.
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As I listed to this, I realized how much we have to be thankful for. No doubt there are poor people in our own country who have slipped through the cracks, but those who are crying the loudest for more assistance already have so much more than those poor orphans do.
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I Timothy 6:6-8 says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” (NKJV) Notice we are to be content with food and clothing- or basic needs. Few people are content with such things. In fact, political movements have been formed to demand that if anyone has more than another, then they should share it. Too few involved in these movements are thinking of the little girls in Ukraine, but instead many are thinking about what they can get for themselves. In the very next verse of Paul's letter to Timothy he writes, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.” (I Timothy 6:9 NKJV)
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You can be in the lower class socially and still have a preoccupation with being rich. Paul is warning us to be content with food and clothing and not to get distracted by wanting riches. Why would he give such a warning about foolish and harmful lusts? If we go back to the 10 commandments we are warned not to covet what other people have. Many of the “demands” being made today are not “requests” for food and clothing, but rather a call to have covetous desires satisfied.
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Though we as Christians must have compassion on those who are truly in need, we must not encourage sinful behavior. In fact, we should call it what it is. Exodus 20:17 says not to covet anything that is thy neighbors. Romans 13:9 repeats the command not to covet. To covet is to disobey God. To disobey God is sinful.
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Instead of demanding a share of the worlds riches, let us work hard so we can share what we have when we see a true need. “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” (Ephesians 4:28 NKJV)