Develop the Right Heart for ProsperitySample

The Seduction of Covetousness 

One of the verses we read in our last devotional was Luke 12:15, which says, 

And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” 

Jesus begins His teaching regarding prosperity in this passage by saying, “Beware of covetousness.”In our society, even in the Church, there are a lot of people whose lives are tied up in “things.” The focus of their life is their stuff, and doing whatever they can to acquire even more things.  

It is what the Bible calls covetousness. 

I want to ask you today, is your heart filled with covetousness? Do you find yourself thinking, “I know the missing ingredient in my life, I just need a little more. If I could just get a little more, I would be happy. If I could just build a bigger house and fill it with a little more stuff…if I could get a nicer car…if I could upgrade…then I would be happy, and then I would be successful.”? 

A little more, a little more, a little more.  

The problem is, however, that desire for more never stops. In fact, as we will see in our next devotional, God called a man a fool because he never realized that riches are only temporary. 

If you find your life driven by the need for more things, if you are consumed with stuff, if you define your success by what you have (or do not have), then you have been seduced by covetousness, and you will never find the happiness you are looking for. 

Do not be a fool seeking after things. Instead, make the passion of your life seeking after God.