May 16
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17)
Continuing on our discussion about sins which we commit regularly but are not aware of, today I would like to explore covetousness and envy, which are related to our discussion yesterday related to greed.
COVETOUSNESS AND ENVY. Do you desire a better and more loving or supportive spouse? Do you desire a more attractive spouse (men tend to stumble in this sin) or do you desire a spouse that is able to provide better than you spouse (women may be more likely to stumble with this sin)? Do you desire more children, or more well-behaved and godly children, and are you envious of Christians that have these? Do you envy the family or possessions of other Christians or non-Christians? Do you admire those who have achieved great worldly success? What are you desire more than anything? Is there anything that you would be content to do without, but because you know of others that have this thing, you perceive that they have a better situation in life than you, and therefore you want it also? Do you get stirred up inside if you see others having great success and prosperity in life? Do you ever envy those that seem to have everything work out for them, perhaps a great, loving spouse, great children, good success in their jobs, and apparent favor with God and man, especially if you situation distinctly lacks one or more of these things? Do you ever find it hard to genuinely congratulate someone who is more successful than you, who gains a lot of wealth or gains a promotion that you wanted or seems to have a bigger area of influence than you? Do you find it difficult to give thanks for what you have when you know of others that have more? Do you find yourself comparing yourself and measuring yourself by the success of others? Are you a very competitive person, and do you feel bad when you don’t win or come out on top? Do you feel some degree of satisfaction inside when someone else experiences difficulty or hardship, loss or pain, especially people that seem to be doing better than you in life? Are you ever glad when your brother or sister stumbles? Is there anything at all that you know of that other people have that when you see it and think about it, you wish you had it also and are envious of them? Can you give thanks in adversity, especially when others don’t seem to get nearly as much as you? Can you honestly say that your only desire is Christ Himself? Is there anything in life that you want more than God? Is there anything that you desire more than His righteousness, His holiness, His character, His presence, and His fellowship?
How are you doing in the areas of greed, coveting, and envy? Did these questions help you see or realize sin that you didn’t see before? If you are able to see sin in your heart better, can you recognize the points of temptation, where these wrong thoughts begin to tempt you and enter your heart?