As we find ourselves looking at others and what they have, remember that the Lord tells us in the Ten Commandments not covet covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor (Exodus 20:17). This word “covet” means to yearn to possess or have something, which is what we do every time we scroll and compare our lives and our worldly possessions to the photos we see on Instagram. Though we are human, and we aren’t expected to be perfect as God is, it is our duty to try and not spend our time looking at other lives, but look at our own. Look through us, and define our own definition of success. I myself am still struggling with this very thing today, but I tell you, I have learned to take it one day at a time.
The success that you crave for will come. It may not come the way that you expect it, or look the way you want it to, but it will come. Because I’ve been taught that the Lord has our lives planned for us before the day we were even thought of. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He knows the plans that He has for us; plans to prosper us and not to harm us, to give you a future and a hope. So anything that is not of a hopeful nature, that doesn’t allow you to flourish, is not of God. It is Satan, turning within us, distracting us with what others are doing. The partying, the drugs, the alcohol; are not of God, they don’t make you into a better person, it creates confusion and havoc. So envying, or coveting, shall I say, those that do those things isn’t of God. We shouldn’t do it. We should focus on what our definition of success will be; what God’s plan, or destiny, is.
He tells us in the next verse, that when we call on Him and come before him and pray to Him that he will listen to us. If we seek him we will find him if we look with all our heart. But even though, we are focusing on God and his plan for us, we also should not worry ourselves with when and how it will happen. In Matthew 6 it tells us not to worry. That there is no need for running around worrying about what will we have, the things we will eat or drink. God knows what we need in order to survive. And if we seek his kingdom and his righteousness, he will give us the things that we need and more. So, we shouldn’t worry about what will happen tomorrow or the months to come, because those days will worry about themselves. We need to focus upward and everything we need will “rain” down upon us.
Now, all of this will only happen if we truly believe that God sent his only Son to sacrifice himself for our sins. If we believe that and allow God to come into our lives, a change will occur within us that we never could expect. Then and only then could we expect that God will take care of our daily needs and worries. Only then can we expect that our definition of success could come to fulfillment.
Don’t allow others to define what your success or failures are. Only God can do that. So when you find yourself bored and scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, don’t find yourself coveting what others have. Send a prayer their way, that they can find true happiness, not through material things, but through the Lord God. It’s not going to be easy. It doesn’t happen overnight. But one day, if you continue to pray and be obedient to God’s Word, without you noticing it will happen before your very eyes. Watch. Just watch!
Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for this Word that you have given us today. This struggle that we have dealt with even before we knew we were struggling with it. Help us not to look at what others have and covet. Help us to instead look to you and to seek what you have for us. Lord, I pray that those that are dealing with unhappiness and depression, I pray that you whisper to them that with you everything will be all right. Lord I pray that this message as touched the right person, if it only be one, as it has touched me. Allow them to see that only you can define their success and no one else. Thank you Lord, again for your wisdom and your guidance on this post. In Jesus’ precious name I pray, Amen.
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