Mine-O-Saur

Yesterday I preached on the 10 Commandments -- or the "Big 10" as folks from the Midwest like to call them.  This was my first time studying the 10 Commandments in depth, and as I reflected on them, I thought:  Which is the most challenging for us 21st Century, Presbyterian, Americans?

Chuck Heston, returning from Sinai.

We're going to find out, so let's start by taking the list from Exodus 20:1-17...

1. No other gods
2. No graven images & no idol worship
3. No taking God's name in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath
5. Honor mom and dad
6. No homicide
7. No adultery
8. No stealing
9. No false witness
10. No coveting

WINNER
No coveting.
To covet is not just to say, "Wow, that's a really sweet car!  I wish I had one!"  Nor is it to admire someone's house, clothes, or musical taste.  To covet is to move a step beyond admiring and wishing to have something.  To covet is to actively seek to possess what one most desires.   It is to center all of one's life in the pursuit of this desire.

Why do I believe we struggle with this the most?  Simple:  The Jones.  Keeping up with them, specifically.  As Americans, we are constantly reminded that someone has something better than us (whether that is a job, a car, a child, a toy, free time, money, or a thousand other things), but that if we work hard enough and sacrifice enough, we too can possess what they have.

And so we dedicate our lives in pursuit of these goals.  I knew a high  school senior once who told me he either wanted to be a dentist or a veterinarian.  When I asked him why, he replied, "Because they both make a lot of money."  His education, his career, and all the choices between now and then based on the numbers that will go into his bank account.

When we covet, we look at what we don't have.  We forget all the blessings that surround us, and we cry out "I want more!"  The opposite of coveting is contentedness.  Rather than seeking what is missing, we celebrate what we have.  An elder at Northside regularly goes on a mission trip to a 3rd world country.  After worship on Sunday, he came up to me and said, "That's exactly why I go."

PS:  Mine-O-Saur is a reference to one of Jack's books.