Luke 12:15(MSG)
Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”
In our anchored Scripture, the Lord firmly denounced covetous living. Covetousness is a mortal sin that has taken over our society. Having life abundantly does not refer to material things. Covetousness enslaves people and drives them into being obsessed with things they do not have or belong to them. Many are never satisfied with what they have per time, nothing is ever enough, they always want more. In other words, discontentment is what usually drives people into covetousness. Gehazi in 2 Kings 5:20 suffered the punishment of leprosy, when he yielded to covetousness.
Life means much more than the abundance of your possession. A wrong perspective of life has misdirected so much of people’s time, efforts and money towards things that are eternally irrelevant. Many people are willing to die to attain fame, success and power. In their imagination, success is defined in terms of material acquisition. Today, so much time and focus is placed on the acquisition of wealth and material things. Having 100 exotic cars, 100 houses spread across the world and billions in your bank account is not true life. Life is not about how many academic qualifications you have acquired, nor is it about worldly wisdom, if it was, the wisest man to ever live on earth would not have called life vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:17). Life is not to be defined by the level of physical charm or beauty that you exhibit, because Proverbs 31:30 says beauty is simply vanity. Beauty without the fear of God is vain, but adding the salvation of God in Christ Jesus and meekness to your physical appearance will make you truly beautiful.
Some people who profess to know the Lord still cannot place money where it belongs. Some are in a hurry to join the millionaires’ club through shortcuts at others’ expense. They will do just about anything to get money: steal, defraud, inflate cost of materials and so on. Many have lost their salvation and other Christian experiences due to covetousness and greed for money and material things. They have traded their souls for the devil. Such people are in serious trouble, because no covetous, greedy or lying fellow will enter Heaven. Hebrews 13:5 says “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
My dear friend, remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and be wise, He warned us that the value of a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of the things he has. True life is when you receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Personal Savior and know the True God. This life is not a temporary form of life that will pass away rather, it is eternal life(John 17:3). The nature of this life is such that it is sustained by growing in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of His Word. Today, shun covetousness and embrace God’s Word in contentment. Be excited about where you are now, for your future is colorful and bright. You don’t have to steal or cheat to have more, just be contented and accept your present position. May you never lose the eternal life of God that is within you in Jesus’ Name.
O Lord, break the hold of covetousness over my life and fill me with godliness and contentment in Jesus’ Name.