SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23
Exodus 20:17
1 Timothy 6:6-10

“… godliness with contentment
is great gain.”

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT AND YOU

The Tenth Commandment emphasizes contentment. You should be fully contented with what God has given and ordained for you.

Discontentment leads to envy and being dissatisfied with what you have. This makes you long for and lust after what others have. Many other sins and the breaking of the Ten Commandments can be traced to this sin. You have extra-marital affairs because you lust after someone else’s spouse. You are dissatisfied with the spouse God has given you. Because you are discontented with the possessions God has given you, you covet what others have and so you steal. Some would fight and even kill to obtain. Living beyond your means is a covetous life of sin. The constant desire to possess more, hoard more, and even borrowing money in order to buy what we do not need is covetousness. This sin leads us to idolatry. We bow and serve what we covet. We neglect God just to obtain or maintain a certain lifestyle. We break the Sabbath to earn more to pay for the idols we covet. We put the gods of mammon, worldly pleasures, position, fame, and success before God. Money is not evil but the love of money is. A covetous heart cannot be contented. Ultimately, this sin idolises self.

The cure for this sin which should help us obey God’s commandments is to be contented, and accept what God has chosen to give or not give. The Apostle Paul learned to be content in every state. God said that as long as we have food and raiment, be content. And we need to set our hearts on things above, not things on earth (Col 3:2). Hebrews 13:5 reminds us, “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.” Having Christ in our life and His promised presence must cause us to be content because He will never leave or forsake us.

THOUGHT: Covetousness leads to many sins, breaking all Ten Commandments.
PRAYER: Lord, teach me contentment.