He’s Got It, You Want It
'Covet' is not a common word these days; it means desiring something that is not ours. It's about what we want, or, as the Hebrew word implies, what we seek to acquire. Actually, surveys in Britain indicate that people are no happier now than they were 50 years ago. Money alone does not increase happiness once a basic threshold is reached. Why? It's mainly because people compare their incomes to those of others. In a rich society, the Jones' get richer too! Your bonus was fine - until you heard what your colleague got.
Let's take a closer look at the specifics in this tenth commandment: Our neighbour - it could be a competitor, a rival team in your organisation, a colleague. A house relates to all your assets. A wife refers to right relationships, including colleagues. A manservant relates to the workforce, a competitor's employees, a rival team. An ox, in today's terms, includes equipment, intellectual property, software, systems, pipelines, machinery. A donkey, the means of transport, today relates to distribution systems, warehouses, shipping and logistics. In the corporate world coveting is rife. Pension schemes get raided, and leave thousands in difficulty. A cost-cutting programme motivated by boardroom greed leads to redundancies. Cashflow boosted by paying late leaves suppliers and contractors in trouble. The Bible does not condemn money; it is just realistic about it - "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." God is not opposed to money, but he is opposed to worshipping it. Too many people in the marketplace do just that. At money's altar, they sacrifice contentment. John D. Rockefeller, once the richest man in the world, was asked, "How much money does it take for a person to be really satisfied?" His reply was, "Just a little bit more." We worry about not having enough, and about losing what we have. The more you earn, the more commitments you make: a larger house with a bigger mortgage, more goods, and more holidays. Unless you trust God with your job and earning capacity, you will ultimately be a slave to it, relying on your own strategies to maintain your apparent security. Work is stressful. The relentless pressure and endless hours wear us down physically, emotionally, spiritually. We yearn for greener pastures; but what we need is to make peace with the pastures we are already in. I suggest six habits that will tackle the corrosive effects of coveting:
1. Cultivate the creator
The key to lasting contentment is to let God shape our desires. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:1l, "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you."
2. Cultivate gratitude
Covetousness can rob us of what we already have. If you have enough, be content with it. Have a positive attitude about your situation. Start each day by thanking God. Then thank others - including the receptionist who greets you.
3. Cultivate stewardship
At a funeral, a relative was asked, "Did George leave much?" He replied, "Yes, he left everything!" Death strips us of all possessions. What we have is effectively on loan. True contentment is not found in having everything we want, but in not wanting everything. Don't hold out for more; hold what you have lightly.
4. Cultivate relationships
Love people and use things. If we start to love things, we will end up using people. In the workplace, we can be so stretched to get things done that people get done in.
5. Cultivate giving
Jesus talked a great deal about money and possessions - 16 of his 38 stories related to them. He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." As CS Lewis put it, "Biblical charity is more than merely giving away that which we can afford to do without anyway. It is sacrificial in some way; it is about not expecting any return."
6. Cultivate priorities
If we don't live by priorities, we will live by pressures. From a biblical perspective, I believe the priorities are:
- God
- Spouse, or closest friends
- Family, if you have one
- Work
- Church
If we make knowing God the top priority, everything else will start to fall into place. Just as one cultivates a field, cultivating a relat ionship with God will bear fruit - fruit that is good and fruit that will last.
'What we have is effectively on loan'
'True contentment is not found in having everything we want, but in not wanting everything'
John Parmiter
Planning Consultant, LICC Workplace Associate
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