Sunday
June 18
1. THE PROBLEM WITH COVETING
a. What is the root of all sins, and how only can it be destroyed? Exodus 20:17; Luke 3:8, 9 (first part).
“The tenth commandment strikes at the very root of all sins, prohibiting the selfish desire, from which springs the sinful act. He who in obedience to God’s law refrains from indulging even a sinful desire for that which belongs to another will not be guilty of an act of wrong toward his fellow creatures.”-Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 309.
“Satan is constantly working to foster in men worldliness, covetousness, and avarice, that he may ruin their souls and hinder the work of God. The Lord is seeking to cultivate in us gratitude and liberality. He desires to free us from selfishness which is so offensive to Him, because so contrary to His character.”-The Review and Herald, November 10, 1896.
“We must feel a special interest in looking upon the things of others-not to covet them, not to find fault with them, not to remark upon them and present them in a false light, but to do strict justice in all things to our brethren and all with whom we have any dealings. . . . The Spirit of Christ will lead His followers to be concerned, not only for their success and advantage, but to be equally interested for the success and advantage of their brethren.”-Ibid., September 4, 1900.
Monday
MondayJune 19
2. A SLIMY TRACK REMAINS
a. How is the very nature of covetousness described? Matthew 13:22.
“We have before us the fearful doom of Achan, of Judas, of Ananias and Sapphira. Back of all these we have that of Lucifer, the ‘son of the morning’ (Isaiah 14:12), who, coveting a higher state, forfeited forever the brightness and bliss of heaven. And yet, notwithstanding all these warnings, covetousness abounds.
“Everywhere its slimy track is seen. It creates discontent and dissension in families; it excites envy and hatred in the poor against the rich; it prompts the grinding oppression of the rich toward the poor. And this evil exists not in the world alone, but in the church. How common even here to find selfishness, avarice, overreaching, neglect of charities, and robbery of God ‘in tithes and offerings’ (Malachi 3:8). Among church members ‘in good and regular standing’ there are, alas! many Achans. Many a man comes statedly to church, and sits at the table of the Lord, while among his possessions are hidden unlawful gains, the things that God has cursed. For a goodly Babylonish garment, multitudes sacrifice the approval of conscience and their hope of heaven. Multitudes barter their integrity, and their capabilities for usefulness, for a bag of silver shekels. The cries of the suffering poor are unheeded; the gospel light is hindered in its course; the scorn of worldlings is kindled by practices that give the lie to the Christian profession; and yet the covetous professor continues to heap up treasures.”-Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 496, 497.
b. What may be characterizing too many of us with regard to covetousness? Ezekiel 33:31.
“Many flatter themselves that their desire for gain is that they may help the cause of God. Some promise that when they have gained such an amount then they will do good with it and advance the cause of present truth. But when they have realized their expectations, they are no more ready to help the cause than before. They again pledge themselves that after they purchase that desirable house or piece of land, and pay for it, then they will do a great deal with their means to advance the work of God. But as the desire of their heart is attained, they have far less disposition than in the days of their poverty to aid in the advancement of the work of God.”-Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 477.
Tuesday
June 20
3. GRASPING, GRASPING
a. How did one decision of Solomon demoralize the nation? 2 Chronicles 2:3-7, 11-14.
“In the tribes of Judah and of Dan there were men who were regarded as especially ‘cunning’ in the finer arts. For a time these men remained humble and unselfish; but gradually, almost imperceptibly, they lost their hold upon God and His truth. They began to ask for higher wages because of their superior skill. . . .
“It was to these apostates that Solomon looked for a master workman to superintend the construction of the temple on Mount Moriah. Minute specifications, in writing, regarding every portion of the sacred structure, had been entrusted to the king, and he should have looked to God in faith for consecrated helpers, to whom would have been granted special skill for doing with exactness the work required. But Solomon lost sight of this opportunity to exercise faith in God. . . . Thus at the head of Solomon’s company of workmen there was placed an unsanctified man, who demanded large wages because of his unusual skill.
“Huram’s efforts were not prompted by a desire to render his highest service to God. He served the god of this world-Mammon. The very fibers of his being had been inwrought with principles of selfishness which were revealed in his grasping for the highest wages. And gradually these wrong principles came to be cherished by his associates. As they labored with him day after day, and yielded to the inclination to compare his wages with their own, they began to lose sight of the holy character of their work, and to dwell upon the difference between their wages and his. Gradually they lost their spirit of self-denial, and fostered a spirit of covetousness. The result was a demand for higher wages, which was granted them.
“The baleful influences set in operation by the employment of this man of a grasping spirit permeated all branches of the Lord’s service and extended throughout Solomon’s kingdom. . . . In the far-reaching effects of these influences may be traced one of the principal causes of the terrible apostasy of him who once was the wisest of mortals. The king was not alone in his apostasy. Extravagance and corruption were to be seen on every hand. The poor were oppressed by the rich; the spirit of self-sacrifice in God’s service was well nigh lost. . . .
“The spirit of covetousness, of seeking for the highest position and the highest wage, is rife in the world. The old-time spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice is too seldom met with. But this is the only spirit that can actuate a true follower of Jesus.”-The Review and Herald, January 4, 1906.
Wednesday
June 21
4. THE NEED TO OVERCOME
a. What does Inspiration declare of the need to overcome covetousness and envy? Proverbs 27:4; 28:16; Luke 12:15.
“If you are ambitious for self-preferment, you must overcome, or you will never enter the courts of heaven. Let selfishness be rooted out of the heart. In the life of Christ there was no fiber of selfishness. He lived not to please Himself. Are you covetously retaining the means which God would have you use to His name’s glory? Bear in mind that covetousness is idolatry. If you keep the commandments of God, you will love God with all your heart, mind, might, soul, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.”-The Review and Herald, November 30, 1897.
b. What should be our prayer in this regard? Psalm 119:36.
c. How only can we be a people of integrity before the world? Colossians 3:5; Hebrews 13:5.
d. What should we keep in mind regarding our need to obey God’s law as a whole? Hebrews 4:14-16.
“One says, ‘My conscience does not condemn me in not keeping the commandments of God.’ But in the Word of God we read that there are good and bad consciences, and the fact that your conscience does not condemn you in not keeping the law of God does not prove that you are uncondemned in His sight. Take your conscience to the Word of God and see if your life and character are in accordance with the standard of righteousness which God has there revealed. You can then determine whether or not you have an intelligent faith and what manner of conscience is yours. The conscience of man cannot be trusted unless it is under the influence of divine grace. Satan takes advantage of an unenlightened conscience, and thereby leads men into all manner of delusions, because they have not made the Word of God their counselor. Many have invented a gospel of their own in the same manner as they have substituted a law of their own for God’s law. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives full recognition to the law of God, and declares the authority of God supreme. The gospel of Christ requires penitence for sin; and sin is the transgression of the law.”-The Review and Herald, September 3, 1901.
Thursday
June 22
5. GENUINE FREEDOM
a. How can God’s creative power provide us with real freedom from sin? John 8:36.
“The expulsion of sin is the act of the soul itself. True, we have no power to free ourselves from Satan’s control; but when we desire to be set free from sin, and in our great need cry out for a power out of and above ourselves, the powers of the soul are imbued with the divine energy of the Holy Spirit, and they obey the dictates of the will in fulfilling the will of God.”-The Desire of Ages, p. 466.
“Take Jesus as your partner. Ask of Him help to keep God’s law. He will be to you a safeguard and counselor, a guide that will never mislead.”-The Review and Herald, January 26, 1897.
“When one surrenders to Christ, the mind is brought under the control of the law; but it is the royal law, which proclaims liberty to every captive. By becoming one with Christ, man is made free. Subjection to the will of Christ means restoration to perfect manhood.
“Obedience to God is liberty from the thralldom of sin, deliverance from human passion and impulse. Man may stand conqueror of himself, conqueror of his own inclinations.”-The Ministry of Healing, p. 131.
b. What is God’s strategy for our deliverance? James 1:21-25; 2:11, 12; Romans 8:21.
“God is drawing those who listen to conscience, take counsel with right reason and with God, and surrender their will, their entire prospects, with the whole heart to God. It is then, and then only, that the human agents learn how wayward is the heart, and how unwilling to give up all for Jesus. But if they walk in the light while they have the light, they soon receive another kind of knowledge; they learn how mighty is the grace of God to subdue selfishness, and expel it from the soul. Truth has the ascendency. There is a sense of spiritual freedom, they rejoice in the glorious liberty of the sons and daughters of God.”-General Conference Daily Bulletin, January 28, 1893.
Friday
June 23
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTION
1. In what areas of life may I still be enslaved by covetousness and all its ensuing sins, and how can I cooperate with God to be made free?