Bible League: Living His Word Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."What does it mean to covet something? It is to have an inordinate desire for something that rightfully belongs to somebody else. "You shall not covet" is the tenth of the Ten Commandments. From it we learn that it is possible to covet virtually anything: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's" (Exodus 20:17). There's nothing wrong with desiring something. However, when what we desire is out of line with the will of God for us, then our desire has been misplaced. Desiring what rightfully belongs to somebody else is a prime example of misplaced desire. It is the wrongful, excessive, rapacious misdirection of our God-given ability as human beings to desire things. It is selfish in nature, because it ignores the rightful claims to something that belongs to somebody else. It is easy to see why God forbade covetousness. When we covet what belongs to somebody else we are also not being content with what we have. Although we may have everything we need, what we already have never seems to be enough. The Apostle Paul told us, "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content" (Philippians 4:11), but the covetous never seem to learn this lesson. To be covetous, then, is a deeply frustrating and unhappy state of being, because the covetous cannot be happy until they acquire what they cannot have and should not have. In the final analysis, covetousness is the failure to believe that God will take care of us and provide for us; the failure to believe that God will never leave us nor forsake us. The covetous are not thankful and grateful for what God has already given them and are not willing to wait for Him to provide any legitimate needs they have. Instead, the covetous desire what God has provided for someone else. Today, be content with what God has given you. Trust Him to provide whatever else you may need. And don't desire what belongs to somebody else. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingNehemiah 1, 2, 3 Nehemiah 1 -- Nehemiah's Prayer for the Exiles NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Nehemiah 2 -- Artaxerxes Sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem to Inspect Jerusalem's Walls NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Nehemiah 3 -- Builders of the Walls Named NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 2:1-13 Acts 2 -- The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost, Peter Preaches, Believers Gather NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Insight Jesus used a child to help his self-centered disciples get the point. We are not to be childish (like the disciples, arguing over petty issues), but rather childlike, with humble and sincere hearts. Challenge Are you being childlike or childish? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"The Lord is my light and my salvation." Here is personal interest, "my light," "my salvation;" the soul is assured of it, and therefore declares it boldly. Into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough light to reveal our own darkness and to make us long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light: he is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. Note, it is not said merely that the Lord gives light, but that he is light; nor that he gives salvation, but that he is salvation; he, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God, has all covenant blessings in his possession. This being made sure as a fact, the argument drawn from it is put in the form of a question, "Whom shall I fear?" A question which is its own answer. The powers of darkness are not to be feared, for the Lord, our light, destroys them; and the damnation of hell is not to be dreaded by us, for the Lord is our salvation. This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goliath, for it rests, not upon the conceited vigor of an arm of flesh, but upon the real power of the omnipotent I AM. "The Lord is the strength of my life." Here is a third glowing epithet, to show that the writer's hope was fastened with a threefold cord which could not be broken. We may well accumulate terms of praise where the Lord lavishes deeds of grace. Our life derives all its strength from God; and if he deigns to make us strong, we cannot be weakened by all the machinations of the adversary. "Of whom shall I be afraid?" The bold question looks into the future as well as the present. "If God be for us, who can be against us," either now or in time to come? Daily Light on the Daily Path Revelation 3:11 'I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.Matthew 9:21 for she was saying to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I will get well." Matthew 8:2,3 And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." • Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 17:20 And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. Hebrews 10:35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. Philippians 2:12,13 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; • for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Mark 4:28 "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. Hosea 6:3 "So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." Matthew 11:12 "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 2 Timothy 4:7,8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; • in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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