COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY

“Mortify therefore  your members which are upon  the earth; fornication,  uncleanness, inordinate affection,  evil  concupiscence,  and  covetousness, which  is  idolatry” Col3:5

What is idolatry? It is to  worship  another god.  To have another  god besides  God. This  verse tells  us that covetousness is idolatry.  When  we covet, we worship another god. We replace  almighty  God  with someone or something  else.  We  pursue  mammon. We pursue  materialism and  by extension  we become our god and  pursue and seek  ourselves, our needs,  our lusts and our pleasure.  Self-aggrandizement becomes  our  focus.

To covet  simply means the desire  to  have more.  The  original sin of  Adam  and Eve involved covetousness. They wanted more  than  the perfection  God  had given them. They were not  content with what they  had.  

Many of  us would  never  bow down to  a statue  or worship  a tree  or some  image. And yet  every single day we worship money and what  it can  buy. Money  is our number  one priority. We build our  entire lives around  it. We wake  up every morning  to  serve it. We serve it the whole day without  relenting.  

We can  forget  to  pray,  we can forget  to  seek  God but  we can  never forget  to go  to  work.  We are usually too  tired  to  pray  or go to  church or to spend  some time  with God  because  we  spend  all  our  energy seeking  money and  what  it  can do for  us.  By the time  we  are  done  working  for  money we  have no more energy to  do  anything  else. This  is a tragedy.

Most Christians give God left over time.  They  only  pray or  seek  God after  they  have done  everything they  wanted  to do. After mammon  has been served  and his  belly  is full. Only  then  will  they spend  a few minutes  in prayer or in the  Word of  God.  

Many of  us can never  miss a work appointment, or  a test  or assignment  at  school.  We are always  there and right  on  time.  But not so  with prayer or with  the Word. When  we are  tired we simply  postpone, God understands  that  we are tired.  We  shall  pray tomorrow. And  when tomorrow comes we  are too  tired. Something else is number  one  priority.  Something else is most  important. Money. We love  money  more than we love  God.

If  we  loved God  as we say we  do,  we  would  find time. He  would  be  our  top priority. We would  be willing  to  lose a job or  fail  in school  but  have a good relationship  with God.  We would  put premium value  on our  prayer and study  time.  We would  put  premium  value  on  our relationship  with God. If anything we seek takes  priority  over  our seeking  God  and  His Kingdom,  then  we are in  covetousness and idolatry.

How we  relate to  money determines  who  is in the centre  of our  lives. If  we are pursuing  an  intimate relationship with God and  His Kingdom  more than we are pursuing  money  then God  is the  centre of our lives. If we  are pursuing money more  than we are  pursuing an  intimate close personal relationship with God and His  Kingdom  then money  is the centre  of our lives.  Mammon is our  god.

In other words,  if  your job  or business  or family or husband or wife  is more important than  your relationship with God,  mammon is  your god.  If you spend  more  time, focus, attention and energy on making money, working  a  job,  running a  business,  running  a  ministry than  you spend thinking  on God and communing  with God  in His Word,  mammon  is your God.  I know this is  hard but  it  is  true.  It’s tight but it’s right.

THE DECEITFULNESS  OF  RICHES  
Mark4 18  And  these  are  they  which are  sown among thorns;  such as hear the word,  19  And the  cares of this world,  and the  deceitfulness of  riches, and the  lusts of other  things  entering in,  choke the word, and  it becometh  unfruitful.

Riches  themselves  don’t mess  us up. It  is the  deceitfulness  of riches which  chokes the Word  and hinders us from  fruitfulness.  Riches are not the  issue.  It  is the  deceitfulness of riches. What is  the deceit that comes  with money?

1.  Money will make  you  happy.
This  is not  true  and  money will never  make truly you  happy.  Money  can give you a  natural temporal happiness  that  is  based  on circumstances.   Rich  people have this  kind  of happiness  because  generally their  circumstances are good. However if their  circumstances were to  change as  we have seen  happen  before the same  happy people commit suicide  or get  depressed. Why? Because their happiness  was  a false happiness  that  was  dependent on their  good circumstances.  Only God will  give you  true  happiness  and contentment.  And  this  will be there no matter  the circumstances.

2.  That money will  give  you  value  and  worth. 
This is a  false sense of  value  and  worth which leads to pride.  You  become high  minded  and  think  you  are better than  other people. You look  down  on poor  people.

3.  That money will  give  you  security. 
This  is false security. Many  people  put  their  trust and faith in uncertain riches. Every  material thing  in this world is  uncertain.  Here today  gone  the next  day.

Deuteronomy 8
16  Who fed thee in the  wilderness  with  manna, which thy  fathers  knew  not,  that  he  might  humble  thee, and that  he might prove  thee,  to  do  thee good  at thy latter end;  17  And  thou  say  in thine heart, My power and the  might of  mine hand  hath  gotten  me this  wealth.

Many of  us have more confidence  in  ourselves to meet  our  needs  than we have  in God  to meet  them.it is why we  work very hard  so  that  we  are  able to  provide  for ourselves. Only  then can  we  spare some time  for God.  After we have taken  care  of ourselves. After we have gone  to  work.  After we  have finished school.  After  we have finished our  chores and  tasks. The  truth is  we don’t  trust God to  take  care of us.

18 But  thou  shalt remember  the LORD  thy God: for  it  is  he that giveth  thee power  to  get  wealth, that  he may establish  his covenant  which  he sware  unto thy fathers,  as it  is  this day.

But remember. God says  remember  the LORD  your  God. It  is He who has  given  you this  power, this ability to  get wealth. It  is  God who gives  you the  life, the  opportunities, the favor, the blessing  to work and get  riches. It is  God  who enables  you to  go  to work every morning.  It is He  who enables  you to  have work to  go  to every morning.  Don’t  forget Him  now  because  you  have a job.  It will be to your detriment.

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