YOU SHALL NOT COVET'

"You shall not covet you neighbour's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbour's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."(Deut 5:21)

If we wanted to sum this commandment up in a positive way, we could say, "Be content with what you have got." As the Scripture says in another place, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." (1Tim 6:6)

It is all too easy to look at what someone else has got and wish that we had the same, or more, or better. But it is a rare thing that they actually have a better life than we do. The more possessions a person has, the more worry they have, the more insurances they pay, and the more they have to lose. The more a person gets paid, the bigger responsibility they have, and the more stress they have to put up with. The greener the grass is on the other side of the fence, the more likely they have spent hours or dollars watering it, or have invested in a lot of green paint.

So let's count our blessings and be thankful for what God has given us. Being thankful and content is a fantastic antidote to the decay and disease of coveting.
Robert Prins [Auckland - Pakuranga - (NZ)]