3. A third antidote to covetousness is generosity. A large-hearted giver who liberally stewards to the Lord’s work will not stumble so easily into self-seeking. In times of prosperity and material advance, the believer must ask, ‘For whose sake has the Lord prospered me, for mine, or for his?’ The Lord has no need of anything we can give, but he has made us fellow-heirs with Christ, and given us the greatest privilege on earth, that of sharing in the extension of the kingdom of the Saviour, to whom we owe everything.

4. A fourth antidote to covetousness comes from Colossians 3.2 – ‘Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.’ The conscious cultivation of spiritual interests will deliver us from covetous attraction to earthly possessions and worldly status. Whenever the eyes of the mind focus on material things, and the imagination roves and relishes in the streets of Vanity Fair, we should wrench our thoughts away, and divert them to things that really matter, to spiritual issues. There are always better things to think about. Is there not something that we should be planning or preparing for the Lord? Is there nothing spiritual to remember, read about, reflect on and rejoice in? Are there no people for whom we should be concerned? Is there no one to seek out, encourage, comfort, perhaps this very moment telephone, in the name of the Lord? The possibilities are unending. Have we nothing edifying to read or study? Have we no one to pray for?

If we are really absorbed in the Lord and his Word, there will be little scope for our emotional and mental energies to run after worldly things. If we seek our families, colleagues and friends for him, and if we are passionately involved in the progress of the Gospel in every place, we will be safely preserved from the great snare of covetousness.

Let us train ourselves to desire, cherish and love spiritual blessings first; then it will be possible for us to keep earthly blessings in perspective. We need the spirit of the psalmist who said, ‘A day in thy courts is better than a thousand.’ Our tastes need to be so enlivened and refined by the Lord, that the Lord’s Day, the Lord’s house, the Lord’s ways, and the fellowship and concerns of the Lord’s people are always at the top of our list of interests. If this is true of us, we will not stumble easily into covetousness.

5. A fifth antidote to covetousness is in the verse with which this article began – ‘Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have.’ Elsewhere, the apostle Paul says, ‘I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’ The practice of contentment is a great antidote. This does not mean that we never seek advancement or promotion, but that our present condition, however lowly, does not chafe and aggravate us, causing us to become restive, frustrated and even resentful.

We may look ahead, and work on, seeking to advance and increase, but not out of pained dissatisfaction with our present state. On the contrary, the believer takes care to give thanks for and appreciate all that the Lord has done, and all that he has provided. Husband, wife, children and friends are especially to be included in this. Life has countless blessings (if only we have eyes to see) vastly greater than material wealth. If contentment and gratitude is sincerely and regularly practised, the mind will be greatly protected against the temptation to be over-attracted to earthly things.

Guidance involves heart-management

The essence of this article is that the quest for God’s guidance includes heart-management, watching out for and guarding against covetousness. Here, in summary form, are the five best antidotes:

1. Pray earnestly and self-searchingly for help, confessing your faults in this matter.
2. Practise self-denial, keeping a firm restraint on yourself. Do not spoil or pamper yourself, always choosing the best of anything, when something less may be more than adequate.
3. Be thoughtful, liberal and enthusiastic in your support of the Lord’s work, making this a major priority in your financial plans. Carry it high on your heart!
4. Ensure that your greatest interests are spiritual, and not earthly, controlling the agenda of your thought-life.
5. Practise the art of Christian contentment, with daily gratitude and thanksgiving to God for all that he, in his providence and grace, has given you.