The Tenth Commandment (Part 2)

This is the continuation of my last blog on 'The Tenth Commandment and covetousness'.

The problem with covetousness is two-folded. On one hand, many are not happy with the things (spouses, families, etc) they have, so they seek the things of others.

People are encouraged to covet what others have. Commodities seem bigger, brighter, and better in the arms of someone else, and advertising creatives, commercials and billboards seem to urge us to buy things we don't need. Marketing groups play on mankind's selfishness and dissatisfaction with material objects, and some waste thousands of dollars on accumulating things that are celebrity-sponsored. 

The same goes for coveting people!

I am surprised at how many lust after celebrities and sports figures. Many of these individuals are married (sometimes more than once), and some will boldly try to make a move on these, knowing their marital statuses. Do people still have posters of a scantly-clad Beyonce or Kim Kardashian on their walls or plastered on their phones and tablets? Or how about Brad Pitt or Hugh Jackman (you can insert any married celeb name here, I don't know who the current ones are). It's bad enough to idolize any single person or celebrity, but I think it's worse to lust after a married one.

Philippians 4:11 says 'Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content'. Paul learned to be content in whatever state he found himself. Now this is not easy; not in the world that is constantly encouraging us to waste our money. We must remember that stewardship is as much of a salvific topic as stealing! The monies and minds that we have been blessed with must be used in accordance to God's will. The Lord warned us against laying our treasures on this earth. He taught us about proper use of the gifts He has given us (for edifying the church), and if we are faithful in the little He has given us, He will bless us with much more.

If we are constantly comparing our statuses with the status of others, we will always be dissatisfied. Our hearts will grow more calloused and greed will be the blood that will flow through our veins. As mentioned in Part 1, there are good things we can covet (See 1 Corinthians 12:31 and 1 Corinthians 14:39) but we must be careful and give thanks to God for the things (and spouses, families) we have and even the things we don't have.