In my greeting to you last week, I mentioned God’s list of the 10 non-negotiables that He gave to Moses to shape the values of a people that were being called out to fulfill His promises over them. This week, I’d like to focus briefly on the directive of the Lord when He declared, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17, NKJV).
This commandment obviously speaks to unfulfilled people, who never seem to be satisfied with what they have, always wanting something else. It speaks to a general disgruntledness about life, an unwillingness to be content with the place that you’re in, the person that you’ve become and the possessions that you presently have. What is it that makes us so envious or even jealous about what we don’t have? What would cause us to scheme, manipulate or try to arrange life in a way that we just might end up with something that God never intended?
When life possesses us, or better yet, when we are betrayed by our own emotional needs, we are left in a very vulnerable spot. We lose our dependence on God, we lose our focus on spiritual things and we become miserable people. Jacob wrestled with God (all night) because he desperately wanted to be free from being a schemer. God gave him a new name (Israel) and a new future. Are you unhappy? Have you found yourself jealous of someone else’s success? Grab hold of God and don’t let go until He gives you a new future. But don’t be surprised if your hip hurts a little and you experience a limp in your step. It will be worth it! Just maybe, God will finally get to do in your life what He has planned all along!
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By: Glenn Burris Jr., general supervisor
