July - 18
GODLY CONTENTMENT
“You shall not covet . . . anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17
Years ago I received a cartoon after preaching on these words. It shows a man holding two tablets (the commandments) and yelling up at heaven, “But if we can’t covet, what will happen to the economy?”
I have come to appreciate the truth and humor of that cartoon. But we miss the impact of the commandment if we think it speaks only to the way our society relates to material things. This commandment gets down to our personal level and addresses our relationships to the people we live and work with.
Coveting first of all fixes our eyes on something that does not belong to us. We may think we have some right to it even though it belongs to someone else. But if, for example, I see my neighbor’s new car and I am so bothered by his having it that I begin to wish he would blow the engine or lose it to a car thief, then I am in the territory of coveting. While coveting can eventually lead to other sins, it already disturbs my relationship with my neighbor.
But coveting also does more. It feeds a lack of contentment; it encourages roving, restless eyes; it looks for satisfaction in things I don’t have rather than in the things God has given me to enjoy. That leads to dissatisfaction with God and spells trouble. Rereading the words of our verse for today is probably a good idea.
PRAYER
Lord, we can struggle between desires that lead us to work hard and desires that only make us un¬happy and restless. Please help me pursue god¬liness with contentment. Amen.
多年前，当我讲道讲及这诫命后，我收到一则漫画，画中的人拿着两块石板（十诫），向天大声呼叫：「但是如果我们不贪恋，社会经济会变成怎样呢？」
我明白这则漫画的写实，也欣赏它的幽默，但是，如果我们以为诫命就好像这个社会看物质的准绳一样时，我们就轻忽了诫命的震撼力了。事实上，这条诫命深入到我们个人的操守，也触及我们与那些一同生活和工作的人的关系。
首先，贪恋就是虎视眈眈着某些不属于我们的东西，这些东西虽然是别人所有，我们可能认为自己也应有分。举例说，见到邻居的新车后，如果我妒忌而开始希望他会弄坏汽车引擎、或他的车被贼偷了，那么，我就是犯了贪恋的罪。贪恋固然会最终引起其它的罪，但基本上它已腐蚀了我与邻居的关系。
然而，贪恋还带来更多问题。它加深我们不知足的感受，它鼓励我的双眼不断到处猎索，在不属于我的东西中寻找满足，而不是在神赐给我享受的东西中去找，结果是对神不满和招来麻烦。我们值得用点时间再读一遍今天这段经文。
祷告
主啊，有些渴求会促使我们更努力工作去争取，但有些则只会叫我们愁闷不安，我们常在两者之间挣扎。求祢帮助我们，以知足的心追求敬虔。阿们。