“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” (Hebrews 13:5-6)
Have you ever coveted? To “covet” something is to wish you had that something, even if God has chosen not to give it to you. Maybe you wish sometimes that your family had a nicer house, with a back yard big enough for a ball game. Maybe you have found yourself wishing that you were taller, or prettier, or stronger. Maybe you struggle with some kind of disability, and you just wish you could be “normal” like everyone else. Not everything we wish for is a bad thing in itself. We can wish for very good things. But when those wishes for good things become strong enough desires to make us bitter at God, or willing to break God’s laws to get those things, that’s when wishing becomes coveting. And that’s when wishing becomes sin.
God’s Word clearly teaches that He is sovereign. He is in control, and He is aware of (He knows the details of) everything going on in our lives. Hebrews 13:5-6 reminds us that the Lord has promised never to leave or forsake His people. If we are trusting the Lord, we can be content with those things He has chosen to give us. We can be content without those things He has chosen not to give us.
Do you believe the Lord is with you? Is He more valuable to you than the other things you desire? Or do you wish for some things so much that you would be willing to sin against Him to get those things? Reminding ourselves that the Lord is always with us and always aware of our needs is a great way to keep ourselves from giving in to the temptation to covet.
Another way that the Lord keeps us from sinning is the fact that He is our best helper, not men. The Lord is always available – we can always call on Him when we need help. What man or woman could always be there for us? And the Lord is greater than any person or problem that could come up against us. We really have nothing to fear if the Lord is with us and if the Lord is our help.
People who believe the Lord is like what He says He is like are people who do not have to worry about pleasing other people. Have you ever kept quiet about your faith because you were worried about what people might think of you? Have you ever walked away from a chance to do something right because you were afraid of what might happen to you? That kind of “fear of man” is sinful, because it is acting like God is not there and that God’s opinion does not matter more than people’s opinions.
The Lord’s opinions do matter more than people’s. And the Lord is always there. He is like no other person we could count on. If we truly believe what God says about never leaving us or forsaking us, and if we truly believe that we do not have to fear people if the Lord is helping us – then we will not sin against Him by coveting what others have or by fearing others more than Him.
The Lord’s perfect character helps us say “NO” to sin.
My Response:
» Do I wish sometimes for things that God does not want me to have?
» Do I really believe the Lord is with me?
» Am I afraid sometimes that people will mock me?
» Do I really believe the Lord is my helper?
» How can I show in my life that I believe these truths about the Lord?