Mark 15:10 English Standard Version (ESV) For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.

When we covet another’s position we tend to be envious of them and in so doing treat them unjustly.

The larger issue with envy is that by coveting those things that belong to another it effects how we treat one another. Envy disturbs relationships in ways that are subtle and mask the underlying cause. We can fain friendship but our heart is not right with them or our Lord.

We will become critical of that person, questioning why they should be deserving and why we are not. It will lead to quarrels and division within the church.

Romans 12:3 English Standard Version (ESV) For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Paul would not have warned us of this behavior if it were not already found within the body of Christ.

Psalm 139:23-24 English Standard Version

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Add to this prayer the strength to accept what God reveals and allow His Word to change our hearts and minds.

While this covet is troublesome to the Lord it is not so far afield of a better covet which brings into focus the service gifts of which this covet is closely related yet handled improperly.

Next the better covet.

Deuteronomy 28:43-45 English Standard Version

⁴³ The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. ⁴⁴ He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. ⁴⁵ “All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you.

Continuing with the issues of the word covet, we move on from worst case to a bad case. The cause of this bad case is simple. The Lord tells us how to live and be at peace with one another and we do not harken to His Word.

Key to this bad case scenario is the word lend. What is the most used legal recourse in this country? We might say divorce but we should be thinking bankruptcy. We live beyond or means, we do not heed the word of the Lord and we find ourselves in debt. In 2019 there were 757,634 US bankruptcies declared. That does not include the number of financial restructures and selling off of assets to cover losses. Those are pure bankruptcy statistics.

That leaves a black mark on our name, our reputation, our dependability and our credit rating. It can take years to overcome. Once corrected, if old behaviors are not corrected, it only takes a minute to fall back into trouble. The most common cause of this lifestyle is wanting what we cannot afford.

Churches today now offer seminars on how to manage our money according to God’s word and sound financial strategies. Classes are filling fast and with good reason.