Nothing robs us of our joy better than envy or covetousness. We can face all sorts of hard times and difficult situations, yet remain happy and hopeful because we have God backing us up. Being envious of another's fortune, however, quickly steals that joy away.
How it Works
If you've ever heard the line "keeping up with the Joneses," then you pretty much know how envy or covetousness works. It works to silently make you unsatisfied with whatever you have, because "others have what you really want."
Envy can affect all sorts of people: rich or poor, famous or not, good-looking or not-so-good looking. Envy doesn't respect any person, and neither will it make a person respect himself any better.
Envy makes a person think that another has it better than he does: "that person has a better car, a better job, a more loving spouse, a beautiful family, a happier life – better than what I have!" Such is the thought that envy or covetousness brings.
What Actually Happens
When Christians begin to envy others for what they have, they unknowingly shout out a message of distrust and discontent towards God, "who richly provides even for our enjoyment" (see 1 Timothy 6:17). Envying others and feeling bad over their fortune actually tells God, "You don't make me happy. You don't provide for my enjoyment. You don't satisfy me." It is a very selfish attitude.
God Doesn't Want Us to Covet
In Exodus 20:17, God said, "You must not covet your neighbour's house. You must not covet your neighbour's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbour." To covet simply means to "yearn to possess or have." It doesn't mean that we're stealing from our neighbours. Rather, we simply desire what they have.
Desiring what others have that we don't have poses a lot of problems for us. Here are just some of them:
1. It Makes Us Unhappy With What We Have
The Bible tells us to be content with what we have. Coveting something breeds discontent, and will soon turn into something worse (see 1 Timothy 6:9-10).
2. It Makes Us Focus on the Material Things of This Earth
All who are in Christ know that they don't belong in this world. If we covet another's belongings, our focus turns to what is temporal, not what is eternal. We must set our minds on things above (see Colossians 3:2).
3. It Drives Us to Chase After the Wind
Chasing after the wind is a foolish thing, and so is the desire to have what others have (see Ecclesiastes 1:8). If ever we do acquire what other people have, sooner or later we will feel envious of whatever new thing they might have in the future. Covetousness is an endless pit of insecurity, pride, and greed for material gain (see Proverbs 27:20).
