Take heed of covetousness

And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." - Luke 12.15

Jesus well knew the temptation that covetousness would be. It is a battle that man has fought since the very beginning. It was so big a deal that one of the Ten Commandments was ‘You shall not covet…’

As Jesus went through His ministry he would often have people come up to seek his advice. Here a man was upset because his brother would not share his inheritance. ‘Tell him to give it to me!’

Jesus took the opportunity to deal with the deeper problem. If He were saying these words in 21^st century English He might have said ‘Don’t get so bent out of shape. Be careful about wanting so much stuff. Your life is not about what you have or don’t have.’

In our current Age of Materialism this is a constant battle. While we millions of fellow believers still struggle in abject poverty most of us in the west have it better than we ever have. Even the average ordinary Christian has a decent place to live, enough food to eat, wearable clothing, a car that runs, electricity, and heat. Many also have a phone or two, a computer, a television, internet service, and a few other electronic devices.

Many of our churches are defined by their opulence. Vast sums of money are sunk into making the place look good and ensuring that there is no discomfort.

If we are not careful we can get the idea that these are thing that define us as churches or individuals. That naturally leads to a spirit of covetousness. Some of us don’t have it as nice as others. Some of us don’t have the newest car or the latest iPad or the nicest house or the best clothes. Some of our churches don’t meet in palatial edifices of grandeur. Some of us still meet in community centres or store fronts or even in homes.

It can be hard to be content. It can be hard to avoid covetousness. That’s why we need to remember Jesus’ words ‘beware of covetousness. All this stuff is not the measure of a man.’

Let’s be sure we keep our focus. Let’s be sure that we don’t measure our lives by the world’s standards. We may not wear the best name brands. We may not drive the best car. We may not go to a fancy church. Our computers might need an upgrade. That’s not what is all about. How is our relationship with Jesus today?