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Covetousness is the excessive desire for wealth or possessions. It is a mania that grips people, causing them to grasp for more and more. It is a fever that drives them to crave things they don't actually need.

We see covetousness in the business man who is never satisfied. He says he will stop when he has accumulated a certain amount, but when that time comes, he is greedy for more.

We see it in the housewife whose life is one unending shopping spree. She squirrels away tons of miscellany till her attic, garage and storage area bulge with the loot.

We see it in the tradition of Christmas gifts and birthday gifts. Young and old alike judge the success of the occasion by the amount of booty they are able to accumulate.

We see it in the disposition of an estate. When someone dies, his relatives and friends shed a ritual tear, then descend like vultures to divide the prey, often starting a civil war in the process.

Covetousness is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5). It puts self-will in the place of God's will. It expresses dissatisfaction with what God has given, and is determined to get more, no matter what the cost may be.

Covetousness is a lie, creating the impression that happiness is found in the possession of material things. The story is told of a man who could have anything he wanted by merely wishing for it. He wished for a mansion, servants, a Cadillac, a yacht and presto! they were there instantly. At first it was exhilarating, but then as he began to run out of new ideas, he became dissatisfied. Finally he said, "I want to get out of here. I want to create something, to suffer something. I'd rather be in hell than here." The attendant answered, "Where do you think you are?"

Covetousness tempts people to compromise, to cheat, to sin in order to get what they want.

It unfits a man for leadership in the church (1 Timothy 3:3). Ronald Sider asks, "Would it not be more biblical to apply church discipline to people whose greedy acquisitiveness has led to 'financial success' than to elect them to the board of elders?"

When greed leads to embezzlement, extortion or other public scandals, it calls for excommunication (1 Corinthians 5:11).

And if covetousness is not confessed and forsaken, it leads to exclusion from the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10).

 

Bible Verses: Ephesians 5:5Colossians 3:51 Timothy 3:31 Corinthians 5:111 Corinthians 6:10

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