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Post by Eunice on Jul 22, 2014 4:41:21 GMT
This past Sunday, with Jay's observation and Arthur's end-of-class comments, we spent time together reflecting on the gifts God gives to us and how we wrongly handle them namely by coveting. What is it about the sin of covetousness that is so destructive? What internal damage and external damage does it bring about? What things does God prescribe for us to break out of the endless cycle of insecurity and envy? How can we better treasure the gifts that He has given to us individually and as a community?
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house;
you shall not covet your neighbor's wife
or his male servant
or his female servant
or his ox
or his donkey
or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
(The Tenth Commandment, Exodus 20:17) Attachments:
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Post by Daniel Yeh on Jul 22, 2014 17:09:30 GMT
The reason why coveting is so destructive is because if everyone goes for the same thing, a community will not be able to function correctly. God has given everyone different gifts so that they will be able to work together to help better each others' lives. The internal damage that covetousness brings is spiritual, because we harbor certain malicious thoughts about other people, it also brings external damage, because we may hurt each other when trying to get the same thing. Being content with our own gifts helps us not covet other people's gifts. When we treasure our gifts and use them for the right purpose, we can help each other and community grow in different ways.
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Post by Iris Luong on Jul 22, 2014 18:07:54 GMT
Coveting is destructive because it is idolatry; it consumes the heart and mind as cancer would spread in a person's body. Instead of putting the focus on God, the coveter instead places his allegiance on Satan. When coveting, people only think of themselves and they are blinded to others. They cannot hear those who need them to minster the gospel and they are blinded by the suffering of others. As a result, they become dissatisfied, miserable, and no longer have Christ in their hearts because they only have their own satisfaction and self-interest in mind. God tells us to surrender ourselves completely to Him and place others first before ourselves. We should appreciate what God has given to us because everyone is unique, beautiful and are created for a reason. Instead of looking to the world for advice and direction, we should always turn to God because he always has our best in mind. With the right mindset about the destructiveness and sin of coveting, we can treasure the gifts God has given to us individually and as a community.
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Post by Ivan Yeh on Jul 23, 2014 17:57:16 GMT
Coveting is a really bad thing because, if everything is the same, the place, people, will not function as well as they do if different. GOD gives everyone something different, but also something the same. We could have different or the same meaning in life.When we treasure gifts given to us, we could use it for the right or wrong purposes,
and help others and the community in different ways.
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Post by Ivan on Jul 23, 2014 18:08:52 GMT
Sorry, i messed up
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Post by Michael Ruan on Jul 25, 2014 5:10:35 GMT
Coveting is an outward expression of an inward dissatisfaction with what God has deliberately and thoughtfully given (or not given) someone. In wanting his neighbor’s house, wife, male servant, female servant, ox, or donkey, one manifests his belief that he knows what is best for himself; in essence, he rejects the principle that God is omniscient and the ultimate provider in life. Hebrews 13:5 reminds us:
“5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.””
Many will argue that suppressing desire ultimate leads to a dangerous complacency; after all, if we don’t strive for what we don’t have, what will motivate us to work harder, take risks, or build character? Should we just live in bliss because we’re told to find fulfillment in what we have and nothing more? The point is valid; however, there exists a fine line based on motivation and intent that separates the sin of coveting from a benign or beneficial desire for more. When we do things that God allows us to (hence the phrase “Lord willing”) out of desire to glorify Him, we can live our lives without compunction; thus, we are content. However, when we want more but God does not provide a means of satiating that desire, we find ourselves in a state of displeasure. We find ourselves resentful of what others were given and ultimately resentful at the provider Himself. As people who don’t even deserve to live – much less own houses, servants, and donkeys – staking a claim to anything reveals an immoral sense of entitlement.
As a recap, consider 1 Timothy 6:6-9:
“6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”
Tl;dr: Coveting = not believing in God’s promise to provide = sinful.
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Post by Bev Chan on Jul 25, 2014 6:25:04 GMT
The sin of covetousness is destructive because it twists what God meant for His glory for our own satisfaction. Matthew 6:21 says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," and covetousness causes us to treasure what our gifts are far more than Him who gave us the gifts or the purpose the gifts served to do. Covetousness leads our hearts astray from Christ and in the process of doing so, the Lord's and our own hearts are torn. It pains God to see His children worship anything other than Himself, who rightfully deserves our utmost praise. When we commit the sin of covetousness, our hearts are broken when we realize we have put our faith on sinking sand. Idolizing things of this world will always fail to provide any kind of joy or satisfaction we crave that is only found in Him. We eventually feel worn out. When we worship God, our reward will come, but chasing after other idols will never earn ourselves a reward, but instead leave us confused and empty. God tells us in Luke 15:12 that our lives are not at all about our possessions. Unlike other idols, God says that He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We can treasure His gifts more by doing all things in His name (Colossians 3:17). When we understand God is the only One we are pleasing, He becomes the center of our lives and the gifts He gives us will be looked upon only as tools for us to further His kingdom.
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Post by Judy on Jul 25, 2014 23:54:57 GMT
When we look at other's people's gifts and question ourselves with "Why don't I have that?", it's much more than just being unhappy with oneself. When taken into account of how we are created beings of God, coveting is the equivalent of doubting God's will. It makes us seek things that were not meant to be ours, and we usually accomplish these goals in sinful ways. But thankfully, God gives us the cross. If he loves us so much as to send his son to die for us, it only makes sense to trust him with our entire life, including what constitutes us and what we own. During conversion, we are inducted into the Body of Christ, and a body has different roles that are all equally important. From the cell to the limb, if one part abandons its role to achieve another's, it'll bring detriment upon the body as a whole. Like going to the doctor for a check up- loving and appreciating each member of the body is important to insure a healthy one.
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Post by Judith Suen on Jul 26, 2014 0:19:38 GMT
Coveting is destructive because humans are never satisfied with what they have or acquired through their accomplishments. People always want to take it to the next level, so there is no end to wanting more. However, what is core is most of the time, we know that we are doing something wrong, but keep doing it because we want to acquire earthly comfort from materialistic things. The more we have, the safer we feel. This eventually leads to an inflated sense of pride and authority about ourselves. When we become overconfident, we also become blinded by our greed; we think that no one else knows that we are coveting something. Usually, it's the opposite, as those close to us will notice, and cause the possible loss of important friendships with others. Most importantly, however, is it makes God sad that we think that we know our future better than He does, when He was the one who created the universe. If everyone had the same area of expertise, it will not let the community know who God is and the church will also miss out on something wonderful and unique.
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Post by Abby on Jul 26, 2014 0:33:01 GMT
To take Michael’s point even further, it can be said that in a sense, coveting is the root of all sin. Sin is wanting our own way, trying to fulfill desires apart from God’s will – in essence, wanting to be gods of our own little universes. When we covet and say we know how best to fulfill our desires, we reject Him as our God. Even before the creation of the world, it was Satan coveting God’s position – wanting God’s glory for himself – that led to his fall. In the garden, Adam and Eve coveted the Forbidden Fruit – something that God explicitly said they could not have – and that led to the Fall of Creation.
Coveting reveals the state of our sinful hearts, and shows that if we are to break out of it, we will need God Himself to intervene forcefully into our lives and change us from the inside. Like Judy said, He did give us a way out with the Cross – but we have to be willing to surrender to Him. That is why the Christian has to die daily, and fight to live every moment for God’s honor and glory.
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Post by Jen on Jul 27, 2014 1:21:45 GMT
The sin of covetousness is mainly composed of selfish ambitions of jealousy. It causes us to be constantly unsatisfied with ourselves and see that "the grass is always greener on the other side". We begin to take in earthly, man-made contraptions and call them "treasures", somehow these meaningless tools have tempted our hearts and if we don't have all these things we automatically feel so empty and lost. We easily loose sight of the unique, exquisite ability we were given and want to take away the gifts others possess. The thoughts of always wanting something we can't have is so bothering and makes us so greedy we barely see all the blessings we were blessed with. It destroys us internally, attacking our minds and hearts, that we are so blinded that we can only see the greatness of others instead of ourselves. We become like desperate animals that prowl for food that are so absurd to fail to see the feast served right before them. Covetousness ambushes our external outlook, people begin to see an ungrateful fool, drowning themselves in endless whirls of depression, anger, and envy. However we have a savior, we have a God, a God we need and a God who loves us forever. If we just take even the slimmest amount of time to talk with Him, read His precious words, we can understand that we'll never be empty handed, because we always will have the Lord to watch over us and protect us. He knows each and every single one of our troubles, doubts, feelings, and desires. With Him, we shall and forever be content. No one in this world was created unknowingly by Christ, we each have a purpose, a gift. We should embrace our beautiful gifts and somehow some way, the Lord will undoubtedly find a way to share your talents with the world for his grace and honor.
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Post by Macy on Jul 27, 2014 3:52:34 GMT
I have a personal experience on coveting. im honestly too lazy to read through all of it so by now this reply may seem irrelevant haha Here it is: This is my third year going to YSMP but this is my first year teaching Youth VBS there. For the most part I looked at other people's gifts. Aileen has a beautiful voice. DuhDuh plays the guitar, Jack has stellar leadership, and I'm just...me. I don't know when being me and harvesting my talent's became a bad thing. As most of you know the only talent i consider having is swimming and water polo. How can i ever use that in the mission field? Many times i wished i had a gift that was useful to the team. Then one day i met a Navajo girl named Tia Lynch. We became extremely close the next few days as i learned about her family, her self esteem, and her interests. Tia comes from an incredibly tough life. Her brother picks on her to the point where she doesn't want to go home. She would always be the last to leave (with site director's permission). On the last night, we hosted a potluck/ revival service for the locals. During service a gloom came over her and she began to cry. Luckily i took her to an unoccupied room where i found out her self esteem plummeted as a result of rumors and bullying. I held her as she cried. That's when it became clear as glass to me. if i could sing like Aileen or play the guitar as well as duhduh or had the leading abilities that jack had i would be too busy to even notice Tia. I wouldn't have held her in my arms. I wouldn't have told her my experience with depression and suicide. I would never have cried with her. I was enough. God didn't give me the gift of singing or playing or leading but he made me ENOUGH for one person. And for that reason i am overjoyed. The point is, God will provide the best at the right moment when you need it, for the right person. There is no need to want what someone has or do what someone else can do. What you want now are rusty pennies compared the gold that God has in store for you! THANKS  |
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Post by Cynthia on Jul 27, 2014 3:55:23 GMT
Coveting is wanting what others have, essentially feeling that we are lacking in resources, affection, physicality, etc. It makes us feel inadequate and by doing so, this desire actually leads to pride by causing us to think that we deserve more than we have been given. The sin of covetousness can be taken to the extent where it becomes obsession and if we continually give into our fleshly wants, God may just allow us to fall. God letting go of His hand is the greatest destruction that this sin can lead to. Jesus on the cross is an example of this as He felt the culmination of His suffering come upon HIm the moment His father forsook Him. All the physical and emotional pain was nothing in comparison to the broken spiritual and soul connection with His Father.
God's plan for us is always the best. Finding our identity in Him and trusting Him more and more each day can gradually wash away our insecurities. "But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul," (Deut. 4:29) and the more we seek Him, the more we will find Him.
Learning to give of ourselves to other by serving sacrifically is a good way to treasure the gifts that He has given us. When we serve, we actually come closer to understanding God's heart and His purpose for our lives.
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Post by Charmaine Ng on Jul 27, 2014 4:20:40 GMT
Everybody put almost everything there is, but, here it goes...
Coveting, is something that everyone has done or will do, for everyone is a sinner, but it is also part of Satan's plan to tear us away from God. Coveting is usually caused by jealousy. We want what we cannot or do not have, causing us to ignore what God has told us. It inflicts internal damage on us, because we then start to get mad or frustrated at why we can't have what we want, which makes our souls slowly turn to muck. There is also external damage because what we can do can hurt us. We have to try to prevent that by devoting ourselves more to God, reading and understanding the bible more, and overall, keeping our faith in God. You need to be happy and glad what God has given you: your personality, home, family, etc. Wanting someone else's would be disrespecting him. Thanks!
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Post by Alvin Huang on Jul 27, 2014 4:45:22 GMT
Okay, so I don't know what other people said, but here's my thoughts on coveting.
Coveting is the sin of wanting. Similar to one of the seven (or nine) sins, it pertains to human greed. But coveting is usually the want of physical things. People have already been given much more than they deserve from God, and yet they want more. God can fill our cup with everlasting grace, yet humans don't take into any matters spiritually. They instead covet physical things that will soon be worth nothing to them.
Yep. That's it. Wanting things that will soon be worth nothing.
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