Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5
On this first Sunday of 2024, I hope this article finds you in a state of well-being. New Years is an exciting time for many as traditions are observed, resolutions made, and our daily lives are abuzz with a sense of newness. One of the many long-standing traditions which many Americans observe is to eat greens and black-eyed peas on New Years Day. The reason for this tradition is that eating these two foods is supposed to promote good luck and financial prosperity in the year ahead. While I doubt anyone reading this article truly believes our New Years Day lunch choices will factor greatly into the fortunes of the year ahead, I am sure we all would be okay with a little good fortune and some extra money if it should come our way.
While there is nothing wrong with working towards and achieving greater prosperity, there is danger in allowing those pursuits to become disproportionate to the more important aims the Christian must pursue. Perhaps this article would have been better in the lead up to Christmas as it has become so commercialized, and profit driven, that I hope we are not giving our children a leg up to become materialists like the majority of our nation. My dad used to have a little fun with it singing his favorite Christmas song, “Tis the season to be greedy, fa la la la la la la la la.” But enough about Christmas as we are talking about the year ahead.
This is not intended to throw a wet blanket on anyone’s prosperity, but it is an attempt to help us all recenter and ensure we do not fall into this common snare of the devil known as covetousness. The Bible is shot through with warnings about covetousness, not just in monetary matters but in other matters as well. We can develop unhealthy attachments to any number of things and grow covetous for more of them (popularity, praise, leisure, decadent foods, pleasure, etc., etc.; cf. 1 Peter 2:11). That said, this article is particularly concerned with our approach to wealth and prosperity in this new year. As Paul told Timothy, “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” (1 Timothy 6:9), so we must be on our guard against all covetousness (Luke 12:15).
There is a ditch on both sides of this path, and we must avoid either one. History tells of many who have gone too far in their efforts to avoid covetousness and the like and began to deprive their bodies of God-given things that were inherently good (Colossians 2:20-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-4). We must take a balanced approach to avoid unbridled lust or unsanctioned asceticism.
Not so long ago, I heard of a brother in Christ who asked God to give him the amount of money he was able to handle without it threatening his faithful service. That is quite the biblical concept as we read of Agur, son of Jakeh, in Proverbs 30:7-9 praying, “Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” As the Lord taught the disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11) and urged them not to worry over tomorrow (Matthew 6:25-34). None of this means we do not prepare and work to secure our needs as sluggards come to poverty (Proverbs 6:6-11), but it does mean we must keep our pursuit of earthly prosperity in its place, so that it will not impede our pursuit of the kingdom of God and His righteousness above all else. May we seek to have and be content with “just enough” this year.