Topic: Beware of Covetousness
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 19-21; Luke 12:1-32.
Memory Verse: “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Luke 12:15 (KJV)
Covetousness is defined as a strong or inordinate desire of obtaining and possessing some supposed good; usually in a bad sense, and applied to an inordinate desire of wealth or avarice. The flesh is always desiring material things to satisfy its urge. This is often subtle and because we walk on this earth, you see a lot of people feeding the demands of the flesh and if you are not careful, you will gradually join the race.
Have you observed how people assess their level of success on earth, it’s often by material things that they have acquired and they compare this with others. Even among men of God, you see how they often run after wealth and also flaunt the wealth to show their success even in ministry, you wonder where they got that standard from.
There is no doubt that material things are important and we need it to eke out a decent living on earth. However the word of God says in Luke 12:15 (KJV), “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
The measurement of your life’s success by God is not based on how much earthly things you acquire but how much you impact the lives of others positively while alive. How many herd of oxen or flock of sheep did Jesus Christ own during His earthly ministry? But now a lot of supposed men of God have erred because of the need to show how successful they are even in Ministry! And rather than turn to the Holy Spirit, a number of them turned to the devil to get power to expand their congregation and thereafter make money. How can you build on a faulty foundation? Those who did not go to the devil for power have chosen to use dubious means to get money from their church members while others have chosen to defraud other people to acquire so much. Some are going against the laws of the land to acquire more wealth for their ministry! Quite a number of church leaders started well but have derailed because of their wrong performance measurement standard. Christians now want to compete materially with the men of the world and are copying the world instead of the other way round! How are you contributing to this in your little corner? God stated clearly in Matthew 6:33 (KJV), “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” And Jesus expantiated further on this in Luke 12:22-23 (KJV), “And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. [23] The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.”
What are you chasing today? How ready are you for the kingdom of God? How well have you used the resources God has given you to influence others for Christ? It is time to reorder your priority; put God first, your family next before your running around for other things. Stop chasing material things at the expense of your eternal life and your health and relationships!
Prayer point: Father, grant me the grace to mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit so that I may live according to your will.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero