Ex 20:17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” 10 ∞

Col 3:5 Put to death what is earthly in you: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry."

Covet To covet is to have an obsession with someone else’s possession The Hebrew word chamad- to desire with the intent to own something that can never be rightfully yours.

The effects of covetousness

1. Fatigue/never fulfilling Prov 23:4 "Do not wear yourself out to be rich, have the wisdom to show restraint."

2. Debt Eccl. 5:11 "The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!”

3. Worries Eccl 5:12 "A working man can get a good night's sleep. But the rich man has so much that he stays awake worrying."

4. Conflicts Covetousness is a seed sin 1 Tim 6:9 “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction”

Antidote Open hands I Tim 6:6 “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth”. Contentment has more to do with focus than finances

Open Eyes Matt 6:20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

Open arms I Tim 6:17-19 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.

18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.