God’s Command

King David said it best in the book of Psalms: The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).

Whenever we read “shall” in the Bible, we know it is a surety that it will come to pass. It’s more binding than the word “will.”

God cares more about our needs. And when we choose to love Him, He provides for our needs so that we shall not want.

The Holy Spirit has a way of filling our hearts with joy, so much so that we have no room for want. And that’s why our Father commands us not to covet. Not to want for anything (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21).

When we leave room for want in our lives, we lose the capacity to see that we can turn to Him for any- and everything we need.

When we leave room in our hearts to depend on material things this world provides, we leave no room for trusting that the Lord will multiply. And we minimize what God desires to maximize in our lives. We diminish His indescribable power and might. We lose perspective. And we lose sight of the Kingdom.

If there’s anyone in the Bible we can learn from, it’s Paul. Paul showed us that the opposite of covetousness is contentment (Philippians 4:11-12). Yet, through his contentment, he did not look after the silver and gold (Deuteronomy 7:25) and still inherited all the riches… that moths could not destroy in Heaven (Acts 20:33).

Let us not covet and seek profitable gain. Instead, let us seek correction that covetousness blinds us from.

And let us shine… so that all people, believers, and unbelievers, can see God in us.