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Monday, August 31 - Devotional from Pastor John

August 31, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

“No Coveting!”

I finished up with my sermon series on the Ten Commandments yesterday, preaching on the ninth commandment against lying, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” As I will be away for the Labor Day weekend next Sunday, I will not be able to preach on the tenth and last commandment, which is in Exodus 20:17, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” If you think about it, the commandment against “coveting” closely resembles the eighth against “stealing,” as both have to do with a lack of contentment. Still, in absence of a sermon on coveting, I thought I would provide you with some devotions this week that speak specifically about this command.

The tenth commandment is unique. You see, while the other nine commandments all deal with “actions” of some kind, the tenth commandment deals with “attitudes.” It deals with our attitude about what we have or don’t have, what we want, or feel we need, and what we believe will truly make us happy. What sets this commandment apart from the others is how God not only has a claim on our outer lives, but our inner lives as well. God has boundaries, -- for our thoughts, feelings, emotions and our motives.

The tenth commandment is like the final punctuation mark on all the other commandments. It teaches us that God is concerned with what is going on inside of us as well as what’s going on the outside. The problem with coveting is it is always about how my life would be fulfilled if I just had that one thing. It could be a person, – maybe someone who I think understands me better than my wife does. It could be a possession, – maybe a car, a house, or a boat, or all three at once! It might even be a kind of circumstance we wish we were in. Anytime we think something other than God will fulfill us and satisfy our lives, – we are treading on dangerous ground andsetting ourselvesup for a terrible disappointment. Authors Will Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas write, “Covetousness is about desire. The Decalogue shows us we were created to love God. But when that love is misdirected, life degenerates into a jumble of disordered desires.” It’s interesting to me that we always seem to find a way to feed these “jumbled desires,” while ignoring the truth about the “One Thing” we really need, -- who is Jesus Christ!

Jesus said, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:31-33). Jesus is telling us the only place we will find lasting contentment is in God. Jesus isn’t saying we don’t need food or clothing or any of the other necessities of life. In fact, he assures us our Heavenly Father knows we need them and will provide for us. The key is turning to God first! And, in turning to God again and again and again,– we are filled with Him, His will, His power, and His presence. This will begin to shape our desires in what we desire most, -- Him! The great Scottish preacher, Thomas Chalmers called it, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.” It is the understanding that our worth is not tied up with what we have or don’t have. Rather, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, loved us enough to die for us. And friends, He is the only one who gives worth and meaning to our lives!