Tenth Commandment

Good morning, church family!

I'd like to begin with a funny story. There was a little boy named Timmy, who, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, said, "I want to be a billionaire, have a beautiful wife and three kids, and when I die, I want to go out like my grandfather did - peacefully in his sleep, not screaming like all the passengers in his car." 

It's humorous, sure, but doesn't it say something about how our culture is often driven by coveting what others have? And that's the theme we are exploring today. Our focus is the Tenth Commandment, Exodus 20:17, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

Covetousness is an intense desire to possess something that belongs to someone else. It's often the root of many other sins. As the Apostle James wrote in James 4:1-2, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight."

Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, speaks of covetousness as a form of idolatry. In Colossians 3:5 he urges, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry." 

This is not a call for us to be complacent or not strive for better, but rather, it's a warning against unhealthy desire that leads us to want what isn't ours, what we have not earned, or what God has not intended for us. Instead of coveting, we are to be content with what we have and trust in God to provide for our needs, as Paul exhorts in Philippians 4:12-13, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

In conclusion, brothers and sisters, the Tenth Commandment calls us to be content with God's provision and timing. To find peace in the knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows our needs and will provide in His perfect timing.

Let's pray: "Father, we ask for the strength to be content, and the wisdom to discern our needs from our wants. Help us not to covet, but instead to be satisfied with Your perfect provision. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen."

Go forth this week, resting in God's abundant provision and grace. Remember, it is God who gives us the power to gain wealth and to enjoy the blessings He has for us. Let's focus on His goodness rather than what others have. God bless you all!