Never Means Never

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, or forsake thee.  So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”  Hebrews 13:5-6

The tenth commandment warns us against covetousness.  What does it mean to covet something?  We mostly consider covetousness as desiring something that belongs to someone else.  Exodus 20:17 tells us to not covet our neighbor’s house, wife, servants, animals, or anything that belongs to him.  Among folks without integrity, covetousness leads to theft or sabotage, that is the actual taking of something that belongs to another or the destruction of it by envy.  In other words, “If I can’t have it, neither can you.”  However, to covet also means wanting something so badly that one will put at risk his relationships, his other material possessions, or his own character in order to obtain that prized possession.

Covetousness stems from a very selfish heart which, at its core, is pride, the very sin from which all sin originates.  Some folks believe that having this item that they crave will make them happy only to discover that the excitement eventually dissipates, and they are left just as empty and dissatisfied as before.  As the old song goes, “Money won’t buy you happiness when you’re growing old” or at any other time in life.

The writer of Hebrews urged his readers to “let their conversation be without covetousness”.  Did he just mean for them to not talk about their selfish desires, or did he mean for them to not let covetousness be a part of their lifestyles?  Of course, he meant the latter.  The term “conversation” in scripture indicates the whole manner of how a person conducts his or her life–words, thoughts, and actions.  In II Corinthians 10:5b, Paul warned believers to “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”.  Proverbs 23:7 tells us that one becomes what he or she dwells on in his or her thoughts.  An undisciplined and wandering mind can really get us into trouble.  Remember that Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:8 to think on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.  I will admit that doing that is difficult after watching the news on television or seeing it online.  But it is certainly worth the effort.

One covets because one becomes discontent with his or her own possessions.  Envy, that green-eyed monster (a phrase taken from the writing of Shakespeare to denote jealousy as a sickness-The Merchant of Venice, 1596), causes one to desire items as good as or better than what others possess.  It is that “keeping up with the Joneses” that leads to debt and an unhealthy competitive spirit among folks.  Material possessions become status symbols which are only false displays of one’s true value which in reality has nothing to do with one’s “stuff”.  Paul wrote in I Timothy 6:8 that if we have food to eat and clothes to wear, we should be content.  How many women go to their overloaded closet and say, “I have nothing to wear”?  As always, Jesus has the best solution for our discontentment.  In Matthew 6:19-33 in summary, Jesus said to not lay up your wealth upon earth, but in heaven because it will be of much more benefit to you and to others.  He also said not to spend valuable time dwelling on food and clothes, but rather to consider how God takes care of things as small as birds and lilies.  Jesus’ admonition:  “…seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.  Do what’s right in God’s eyes, and He will provide, sometimes in the most unexpected ways by those we would least suspect.

With God’s promise that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that He will protect, comfort, and render aid in every circumstance that we face, we can boldly claim Him as our Helper.  We do not have to fear man.  Man has no claim on our eternal destiny.  Yes, man can take our lives, but he has no power against Almighty God.  Man may rob us of our possessions and/or of our lives, but he can never take our salvation, for that is secure in Christ (II Timothy 1:12).  We are always warned to never say never because we do not know what a day may bring.  It is risky for folks to say that they will never do such and such because many times that is exactly what they end up doing.  It is almost like a challenge to Satan.  God is the only One who can say that He will never do something, like leave or forsake His people, and then never do it.  I can say unequivocally and without doubt that God’s promise has been true in my life.  While I have lived through heartaches and tragedies, God has carried me through them, and I trust that He will not desert me nor forsake me as long as I live, however long or short a time that is.