Daily Scripture
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” – Hebrews 13:5
“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” – Joshua 1:5
Study
Content – satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else; Satisfaction
Covetous – inordinately or wrongly desirous of wealth or possessions; greedy; eagerly desirous
Covetousness is driven by comparison, fear, envy and competition. To see things in the lives of others which you would love for yourself is great. But that should translate to creating goals to acquire an item similar to it, towards which you strive for in a healthy way. If, it is even meant for you. You should not strive for the same, exact thing.
The spirit of covetousness, stirs in you an ungodly desire for the thing that someone else has,. That desire births plans, devices and strategies for acquiring what is not yours. This puts you in direct competition with the owner of that thing. It also builds resentment in you. The outcome is that you become bitter and full of hate. The spirit of covetousness in effect, minuses and subtracts and makes you less of what you were before that journey started. A prime example would be King David and Bathsheba.
I am reminded in thinking on this of a scripture in James. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death,” – James 1: 14-15
God gives us a command here to be content with what we have; be satisfied. I don’t believe He is talking just of money but all things of this world. Be satisfied because He will never leave you or forsake you. What a promise!
Why do we doubt this promise? Again the spirit of covetousness enters our hearts and creates doubt and worry. Worry is our attempt to control outcomes and situations. This makes worry into an idol in our lives. We stop seeking God first and give ownership of our mind and emotions over to the desire to have more and be more. Since having and being more is an endless desire, this leaves us in a perpetual state of worry. A perpetual state of covetousness. Sin.
Worry hinders our ability to obey God and therefore we sprint towards things that we feel will alleviate the worry. We make our own plans. Plans that involve things that make us feel safe and secure, numbing the worry that lurks around our thoughts. Bottom line: worry happens when we seek the created rather than the Creator…as does discontent; covetousness. God wants us to seek Him, not money, popularity, success, family, or possessions. He states over and over again that He is all that we need. He wants us to be content with what He has given us rather than always striving for more. We are to seek Him first, to share our concerns with him first, to seek His direction, His next step.
Meditation
So how do we give Him our concerns? How do we live seeking Him first? It all starts by spending time, alone, undisturbed, in His presence. Not in your car, not while exercising; but in solitude. In prayer and the Word.
It does not matter how tightly knit our families are or how many close friends we have. When we go through a difficult time or trial, many a time, we still feel alone and we feel that no one cares or understands.
In the Bible, Martha knew that feeling. She had on one occasion cried out to Jesus, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?” (Luke 10:40) Jesus’ disciples also knew what it was like to feel small, alone and in trouble. They cried out, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” when they were swept up in a terrifying storm. (Mark 4:38)
Today, maybe the cry of your heart is also, “Lord, do You not care that I am alone…that I feel I am going under…that I am perishing? That I am hurting?”
Well, the Lord does care. He loves you so much that He wants you to cast all your cares upon Him—not just some, but all your cares. He wants both your big and small cares. There is nothing too small or big for Him. If it is a care in your heart or life, He wants you to cast it upon Him.
When the apostle Peter wrote “casting all your care upon Him,” he was talking about the continuous act of casting all your cares upon the Lord. As a care comes, God wants you to give it to Him. That is the lifestyle He wants you to adopt. Why? The verse gives us the reason—“for He careth for you.” You are casting all your cares upon the One who loves you, and who left all of heaven to come and die for you on that old rugged cross! That is Who you are casting your cares to. It is not just any person, but it is the One who gave His life for you!
When you are going through a difficult time, God wants you to believe that you are never alone because He Himself has said that He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) As the object of His care, He will take care of you for the rest of your life and eternally. You are never alone, never will be, and you are always cared for!
Prayer
Oh God, I thank you for Your Word today. Father, I confess I have held on for last two years to some things that I thought were mine..but maybe they no longer were. I know you are not a God of confusion and I feel confused in some areas. Give me wisdom and understanding, Lord. Lead and guide me through this path I find myself on. I cast it all on you Jesus. My job, my finances, my relationships, my ministry, my dreams! Have I operated at all in a spirit of covetousness? What is this that is at work in my heart? Is it You pushing me forward or a discontent in my heart? You are my helper. I want to see things as You see them. I want to see the fulfillment of Your Word in my life. I let go Lord, that You may come in and have your way through this life You have allowed me. I stand here with nothing Lord. It has all come to naught since I got off the plane in Tanzania. Everything I thought I knew, I now see I don’t. I feel like a failure in so many ways Holy Spirit…except that I trust You. Thank You for this promise in Your Word.. Write it on my heart and let it be sealed with the blood of Jesus and in His precious and holy Name! Amen
a lamp and a light 