covet and contentment

And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."

Exodus 20:1‭-‬2‭, ‬17 ESV

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11‭-‬13 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

God doesn't care just about outward obedience, He also cares about our inward heart. He doesn't just care about what we do but why we do it. 

The problem and pervasiveness of coveting

The desire for a house, a spouse, good things is a desire given by God. There is nothing wrong with these desires. But we are not to desire what is our neighbors. Not just their possessions, but literally anything. Their opportunities, talents, good looks, etc. We are to desire our neighbor's good above their goods. We are to celebrate their success and blessings. But it is not just a horizontal relationship problem, it has a vertical dimension. Covetousness hides a belief that we are not getting what we deserve. If we had this thing or things, everything would be complete in our lives. Scripture says that covetousness is idolatry. It is elevating these things to make them ultimate. It is an accusation that God is not dealing fairly or properly with you. It is such a small hearted thing. How ugly and shameful that we cannot celebrate when our neighbor is successful. We all struggle with this. Our culture only fans the flames. It tells us to be discontent.

The power to turn from coveting to contentment

Buddhism sees the problem of coveting and tells the followers to mute the desires entirely. But Christianity says something different, we do not seek to eliminate our desires but rather to desire rightly. To put our desires in the proper order, and placing our ultimate hope in Jesus. We are to submit our lives entirely to God. This is how to find contentment in our lives. Paul writes from prison about his contentment. He is often in need, in danger, and at risk. Shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonment. But he is content because he is grounded in Christ. How? First, being grounded in Christ takes away any sense of entitlement. Anything on the other side from hell is grace because that is what we deserve. Second, the cross points out how far God will go for us. It is our proof that God is working for our good regardless of how our circumstances appear on the surface. God provides for all that we need. God withholds things for our good. Things that we desire... For our good.