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Friday, June 24, 2016
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Is Covetousness Wrong?
We like going to garage sales. Not only do we enjoy finding bargains, but it is also fun to meet new people. With 4 boys ages 4-8, we like to watch for clothes that are not worn out- especially jeans that still have the knees intact.
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Not only do we try to find bargains for the boys, but we also use the rummage sales to educate them on economics and budgeting. As we set out on our search for the best deals, I gave each of the 3 older boys $2 and told them they could spend it however they wanted. (The youngest did not yet get the concept, so I simply purchased a toy that he liked). I instructed them that once their money was gone, that they could not get anything else. Further they had to stay within their $2 budget.
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My 7 year old had brought some of his own money, so he added his two quarters to the $2 and purchased a real nice toy John Deere tractor and disk set. Next the 6 year old bought a wallet and toy binoculars. The 8 year old bought a tool for 50 cents and then saved his money until near the end of the day when he finally found a whole bag of toys for another 50 cents and still had enough money left over for another toy.
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When his brothers saw how much more he had gotten, they wanted more money. I told them no. They had gotten the same amount and if they had been as patient as their older brother, they could have gotten better deals as well.
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This then led to a lesson about covetousness, since one of the brothers had become very resentful about that large bag of toys. If the older brother had not gotten so many toys the other boys would have been very happy with the things they had gotten. In fact, the toy tractor and the wallet were actually worth a lot more than the bag of junk the 8 year old got.
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Sadly the behavior that my boys displayed is not contained to little kids. Adults display just as bad of behavior. If you want what your neighbor has and you resent him for having it, that is called covetousness.
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Is coveting really that bad? Don't political parties even promote it in order to motivate voters? When God is left out of the picture, covetousness is not only accepted, it is often encouraged, but that does not make it right.
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The 10th commandment is very clear, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” (Exodus 20:17) In fact, covetousness is ranked with thievery and extortion. 1 Corinthians 6:10 says, “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
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I Corinthians 6:10 suggests that covetousness is such a serious sin that if it actually characterizes your life, you should not even call yourself a Christian. I am not suggesting that if you have ever begun to covet that you are not a child of God, but if you continue in that sin and do not feel any remorse over it, then how can you claim that you really care about God and His standards of right and wrong?
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For those who are caught up in covetousness or any other sin, there is hope. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The wages of all sin- including covetousness- is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us realize that our God is a holy God who must punish all sin. Let us take our sin seriously and realize that our only hope for eternal life is to agree with God about our sin and trust Christ's payment and His righteousness applied to our account.
-
Not only do we try to find bargains for the boys, but we also use the rummage sales to educate them on economics and budgeting. As we set out on our search for the best deals, I gave each of the 3 older boys $2 and told them they could spend it however they wanted. (The youngest did not yet get the concept, so I simply purchased a toy that he liked). I instructed them that once their money was gone, that they could not get anything else. Further they had to stay within their $2 budget.
-
My 7 year old had brought some of his own money, so he added his two quarters to the $2 and purchased a real nice toy John Deere tractor and disk set. Next the 6 year old bought a wallet and toy binoculars. The 8 year old bought a tool for 50 cents and then saved his money until near the end of the day when he finally found a whole bag of toys for another 50 cents and still had enough money left over for another toy.
-
When his brothers saw how much more he had gotten, they wanted more money. I told them no. They had gotten the same amount and if they had been as patient as their older brother, they could have gotten better deals as well.
-
This then led to a lesson about covetousness, since one of the brothers had become very resentful about that large bag of toys. If the older brother had not gotten so many toys the other boys would have been very happy with the things they had gotten. In fact, the toy tractor and the wallet were actually worth a lot more than the bag of junk the 8 year old got.
-
Sadly the behavior that my boys displayed is not contained to little kids. Adults display just as bad of behavior. If you want what your neighbor has and you resent him for having it, that is called covetousness.
-
Is coveting really that bad? Don't political parties even promote it in order to motivate voters? When God is left out of the picture, covetousness is not only accepted, it is often encouraged, but that does not make it right.
-
The 10th commandment is very clear, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” (Exodus 20:17) In fact, covetousness is ranked with thievery and extortion. 1 Corinthians 6:10 says, “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
-
I Corinthians 6:10 suggests that covetousness is such a serious sin that if it actually characterizes your life, you should not even call yourself a Christian. I am not suggesting that if you have ever begun to covet that you are not a child of God, but if you continue in that sin and do not feel any remorse over it, then how can you claim that you really care about God and His standards of right and wrong?
-
For those who are caught up in covetousness or any other sin, there is hope. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The wages of all sin- including covetousness- is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us realize that our God is a holy God who must punish all sin. Let us take our sin seriously and realize that our only hope for eternal life is to agree with God about our sin and trust Christ's payment and His righteousness applied to our account.
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