A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot (Prov. 14:30 ESV). Love does not envy (1 Cor. 13:4 ESV). “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor” Exodus 20:17 NLT). Godliness with contentment is great gain 1 Tim. 6:6 (NIV).
Dear heavenly Father, this tapestry of Scriptures is both convicting and consoling. It’s convicting, because on a daily basis (sometimes hourly), I realize I can be envious of anyone in sight and covetous of anything within reach. I can get envious of people who have less hassles and more resources; people who can play harder and require less sleep; people who can eat a whole cake and lose weight; extroverts who are at home in any setting, while, as an introvert, I struggle to make eye contact and do chit chat.
I don’t covet my neighbor’s ox or donkey, but I can greatly desire his dense hairline and ability to run everyday without any knee pain. I don’t covet my neighbor’s male or female servant, but I would love to have his 2-handicap golf game and his English styled, ivy-laden cottage at Rosemary Beach. Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner.
But as convicting as these verses are, Father, they are even more consoling; because through the gospel I realize that all I really need is Jesus, plus what you choose to give me. If I was given everything I envy and covet, my bones would rot. It would never be enough. Indeed, ingratitude is soul-cancer; hoarding is heart disease; selfishness is dignity thievery. There’s a Jesus shaped vacuum in my soul that only he can fill. Thankfully, he has and continues to do so. So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ beautiful and more-than-sufficient name.
