We live in a world obsessed with more. More money. More followers. More likes. More stuff. Bigger houses to put all that stuff.
Netflix has 36,000 hours of Movies and TV shows. That is 50 years of TV if you watch it straight and that is only one streaming service, the average American uses 3 streaming services.
There are about 600 million products are being sold on Amazon today. And because there are so many products for sale then we know what comes next. Advertisements. The average American is bombarded with up to 4,000 – 10,000 ads daily, each whispering the same lie: Just buy this and you will be happy.
Social media amplifies the noise, showcasing curated highlight reels of vacations, homes, and gadgets that fuel our envy. Yet, beneath the glossy surface, discontentment thrives.
Credit card debt in America alone has soared to over $1.2 trillion, while studies show materialism correlates with higher rates of anxiety and depression.
One recent study from 2024 called Exploring the effects of a materialistic lifestyle on mental health Cappettom M., & Tadros, E. (2024). Applied Family Therapy Journal, 5(1), 16-25.
• Materialism Predicts Poor Mental Health: Higher materialism correlated with worse mental health outcomes (e.g., anxiety, depression), supporting the hypothesis.
• Hoarding: Linked to emotional attachment to possessions and relational conflict.
• Happiness: Materialistic individuals report lower life satisfaction.
• Anxiety/Depression: Associated with compulsive buying, social anxiety, and low self-esteem.
• Social Isolation: Materialism correlates with loneliness and reduced social support.
The toxic cycle of endless craving described here is not a modern invention—it’s as old as humanity itself. Thousands of years ago, long before Amazon algorithms or Instagram envy, the ancient commandment in Exodus 20:17 cut to the heart of this human struggle: “You shall not covet…”
This commandment doesn’t merely forbid stealing, the seventh commandment does that; the tenth commandment targets the root of our discontent—the restless desire for what others have. In an age of oxen and donkeys, the warning was clear: coveting your neighbor’s possessions poisons the soul. Today, the objects of our envy have changed (luxury cars, curated lifestyles, viral success), but the human heart remains the same.
Christ, while he walked on the Earth, confronted this issue head-on. He warned saying “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15).
Let’s turn there and read the parable, Luke 12:13 – 15 surround this warning. In my bible it is labeled The Parable of the Rich Fool. So we know what kind of person God thinks of
Luk 12:13 — Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Luk 12:14 — But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
Luk 12:15 — And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
We don’t have the background context of why the man is coming to Christ to asked him and even what authority Christ would have over the man. But what on the surface might seem like a matter of justice, Christ says is a different matter altogether, one of covetousness. Just reading Christ’s response here I would think one brother got more or got the whole inheritance and this one is coming to ask the Christ tells his brother for a more equitable division. But Christ understands the heart of the matter, it is not about fairness or justice that the one who asked the question wanted, it is that he coveted what his parents gave to his brother.
We can be that way with our Father right? When we see someone getting more or getting what we want, we can covet the blessings that God gives someone else.
Let’s keep going
Luk 12:16 — Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.
Luk 12:17 — And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’
Luk 12:18 — So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.
Notice this man’s thinking here. He had barns to store some amount of crops. This man was already wealthy so he had enough but one year his crops yielded more than he was use to so what was his first instinct? To hoard it up. In my last message I read these Proverbs which I think fits here.
Pro 11:25 — The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
Pro 11:26 — The people will curse him who withholds grain, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
So the man’s thinking is the exact opposite of this proverb.
Luk 12:19 — And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ‘
Luk 12:20 — But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
Luk 12:21 — “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
God calls this man a fool, those are strong words, something I don’t think any of us want to be. So what is going on here.
Is it just that this person is rich? No, we see too many examples of Godly men and women who were fabulously wealthy. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, at one point it says Isaac’s crop in one year increased a hundredfold (Gen 26:12), you have David, the other Kings of Judah who were called kings like Hezekiah who it was said about that he “had very great riches and honor” (2 Chronicles 32:27–29) , Job was called “the greatest of all the people of the East” (Job 1:3), even Boaz was called a man of great wealth (Ruth 2:1), Easter was the queen of a great empire and there are more so we can’t say that wealth is the problem.
This parable exposes the futility of hoarding which Christ calls just another form of covetousness. The man’s mistake wasn’t success but selfishness—he stored wealth for himself rather than stewarding it for God’s purposes.
What did he say: “there I will store all my crops and my goods”, “take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry”. He wasn’t asking himself how could he help others with the blessing that God had given him. His natural instinct was to hoard it for himself which is the exact opposite of the generosity that
This gets to the root of the problem and why this is covetousness. Solomon in the wisdom that God gave him and probably from a lot of hard personal lessons tells us where the sin started in this rich man of the parable.
Ecc 5:10 — He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.
Ecc 5:11 — When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes?
Solomon’s piercing observation in Ecclesiastes 5:10–11 lays bare the futility of craving wealth: no amount of silver or abundance can satisfy the soul, and the more we accumulate, the more we realize its emptiness. This insatiable hunger—covetousness—is not merely a surface-level sin but the poisonous root beneath humanity’s brokenness. The rich man’s folly, as Jesus later illustrated (Luke 12:13–21), begins here: in the restless heart that mistakes possessions for purpose. Paul echoes this truth in 1 Timothy 6:9–10, warning that the “desire to be rich” ensnares us, twisting godly ambition into self-destructive greed.
1Ti 6:9 — But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10 — For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Money isn’t evil, but is love of money, you could say covetousness, is the root of all kinds of evil. Covetousness is the seed of rebellion, stretching back to Satan’s fatal craving for God’s throne (Isaiah 14:13–14). Like him, we exchange worship for want, letting discontent manifest into idolatry, theft, or adultery—sins that flow from a heart already captive to “the love of money” (1 Timothy 6:10), really the love of something other than God. While other commandments address visible actions, covetousness operates in the shadows of the soul, hidden until it erupts into harm. Solomon and Paul both unmask this danger: wealth itself is neutral, but when we love it, we trade eternal joy for fleeting illusions. God calls us to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23), for what we covet today will inevitably master us tomorrow.
The straightforward form of covetousness in the 10th commandment is that my neighbor has something I want, I desire it, desire something more, then we see that this man comes to Christ and much like the exact command he covets the inheritance that his parents gave to his brother and wants Christ to command his brother, due to fairness or a misunderstood form of justice. But Christ expands this straightforward understanding and shows that covetousness can come from both want and abundance.
While these examples are about money really it can be anything that we “love” more than God. Money, possessions, power, fame, ease, merriment, whatever we are putting above Christ.
What then are we to do.
Going to the verses right about 1 Tim 6:9 and 10 we see the antidote to covetousness- contentment.
1Ti 6:6 — Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
Godliness with contentment
1Ti 6:7 — For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8 — And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
To the Corinthians when Paul is talking about the cheerful giver, he says
2Co 9:8 — And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
The Greek word translated sufficiency is the same that is translated contentment above. Paul clearly tells us that God’s grace is both limitless and purposeful. Paul emphasizes that God’s ability to provide is not constrained by human limitations—He can pour out “all grace” in overflowing measure to meet every need. The phrase “all sufficiency in all things” underscores that God’s provision is comprehensive, ensuring His people lack nothing essential for His purposes. However, this sufficiency is not merely about personal comfort; it is divinely orchestrated to fuel “every good work.” In the context of Paul’s message, he is urging the Corinthian church to give generously to support struggling believers, confident that God will replenish their resources. The “abundance” described here is not for self-indulgence but for stewardship—empowering us to reflect God’s generosity by meeting the needs of others (Philippians 4:19).
That was the problem with the rich man in Christ parable, but really the problem with covetousness all up. We either don’t trust that God will provide all we need or we want something more or different then what God has planned and purposed for our lives. Either can be true. Satan wanted a different purpose for his live, the Israelites as the left Egypt didn’t trust that God would provide even though He did it time and time again. But neither can be true for you and I.
Paul at the end of Philippians is encouraging the brethern, let’s just read some of it
Php 4:1 — Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
Php 4:2 — I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
Php 4:3 — And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Php 4:4 — Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Php 4:5 — Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Php 4:6 — Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Php 4:7 — and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Php 4:8 — Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Php 4:9 — The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Php 4:10 — But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
Php 4:11 — Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
The Greek word G3129 man-than’-o (“learned”) implies a disciplined process, to learn by use and practice to make a habit. Contentment isn’t innate—it’s cultivated through trials and trust.
Php 4:12 — I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
This is exactly what we saw in covetiness that is a state of mind, a matter of the heart that can happen no matter how much you have or how little you have. Paul had built the habit through a disciplined process of being content in all states. What does that tell us, Paul’s life was up and down, feast and famine. Paul’s life was not easy was not a straight line. He had really good times and really hard times and he learned through that to be content with both what God gave him AND what God gave him to do.
And he goes on to tell where that came from. It was not through self but he says:
Php 4:13 — I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
We use this as a standalone statement many times but in this content he is saying specifically that his contentment, came from trusting in Christ.
This is a critical thing to understand and even harder to actually live but contentment flows not from self-reliance but surrender to Christ’s sufficiency.
We have to have faith, not just know, not just believe but to have our hearts changed so that what Christ has given us and has given us to do is enough. There is joy there is peace when we do because then we can focus on what we have and what we must do not what we lack or what we don’t want to do.
Paul goes on here
Php 4:14 — Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.
Php 4:15 — Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.
Php 4:16 — For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.
Php 4:17 — Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.
Php 4:18 — Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.
Php 4:19 — And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Php 4:20 — Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul doubles down here and tells us that in Christ all our needs will be met. A powerful statement, one much easier to know then to do. Even Paul here says he did not come to this level of contentment in Christ all at once but by building the habit.
Christ of course was the greatest example of this. For us our contentment must be in Christ. For Christ his contentment was in the Father.
2Co 8:9 — For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
Christ gave up riches we can only imagine, suffered and died for you and I and He did it because the will of the Father was enough for him. As Christ was about to go up to what He knew would be His death what did Christ say and do “nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” His Father was enough for him and we must follow His example and Christ must be enough for us.
Think about the contrast between the message from the world and the gospel message.
The world says, ‘You deserve luxury.’ Jesus says, ‘You deserve death, but I give you life.’
The world says, ‘Store up.’ Jesus says, ‘Sell out—follow Me.’
The world says, ‘You are what you own.’ Jesus says, ‘You’re Mine.’”
It is hard, when you are in the middle of great want or great abundance to not want more, our human nature says there is never enough and our culture has mastered the art of helping us crave more.
We can plainly see it in our society today and we saw it in the parable of the rich man that Christ gave—but we have forgotten the joy of enough, the contentment that Paul learned through trials and abundance.
In a world drowning in endless cravings—where Amazon peddles 600 million products, where we have more entertainment then we can watch in a lifetime and social media fuels envy over curated illusions of “more”—the God’s Word pierces through with a liberating truth: Contentment in Christ is the antidote to our soul’s restless hunger. The rich fool’s fatal mistake was not his wealth but his worship; he hoarded blessings meant to be shared, mistaking abundance for autonomy and comfort for control. Like him, we’re tempted to build bigger barns for our fears and desires, forgetting that “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). But God’s Word calls us higher. Paul strips away the myth of self-sufficiency: contentment is not a financial status or a minimalist trend—it’s the hard work we need to put in to surrender to Christ’s strength. When we stop clinging to the lie that more will satisfy and instead anchor our hearts in the One who is enough, we break free from the cycle of covetousness that Solomon called “vanity” and modern studies link to despair.
The gospel redefines “enough” through the lens of Christ’s life and sacrifice. Just as Jesus left heaven’s riches to meet our deepest need (2 Corinthians 8:9), He calls us to loosen our grip on temporary treasures and invest in what lasts. This is not a call to poverty but to purpose—to steward God’s gifts with open hands, knowing His grace supplies “all sufficiency in all things” so we might “abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Like Paul, we learn contentment not in spite of trials or in spite of abundance but through them, discovering that Christ’s presence is the truest measure of wealth. When we stop comparing our portion to others’ and start trusting our Father’s provision, we trade anxiety for awe, scarcity for joy, and isolation for community.
Let us silence the clamor of ads and algorithms with the anthem of Psalm 73:25–26: “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” The world shouts, ‘You need more!’ But Jesus whispers, ‘I AM enough.’ His sacrifice proves it: He traded heaven’s riches for our poverty, so we might inherit eternity. We must drop the weight of ‘more.’ Cling to Christ. In Him, you lack nothing—you are full, free, and finally alive.