Coveting?

So one of my favorite verses from the Proverbs turned up in today's reading:

An inheritance may be gained hastily at the beginning
but the ending thereof shall not be blessed (Proverbs 20.21)

Is this why I never buy lottery tickets? Well, no -- I never buy 'em because lottery tickets are a bad risk. But I think this verse is warning us about coveting material riches.

How about coveting spiritual riches? Have you ever heard someone talking about his dreams or ideas, and thought, "I wish I could have thought of that"? Do you sometimes you had faith like George Müller, compassion like Mother Theresa, vision and focus like Bill Bright, or spiritual creativity like Sara Groves? I sometimes do -- not those in particular and not all of those. In other words, I have sometimes coveted spiritual riches.

So that's what I was thinking of when I came across this:

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed (1 Corinthians 1.7)

Sorry, I cheated there; I gave you "Therefore" at the beginning of a sentence. Here's what comes before it:

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge -- because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift...

1 Corinthians 1.4-7

And that part looks pretty good too, now that I look at it. Enriched in every way because Paul's testimony about Christ was confirmed in them.

Doesn't that apply to us, particularly to you and to me, too? Sure it does, if we want to follow Christ! True, we aren't the Corinthians, and we might wonder if maybe the Corinthians had their act together in a way we do not. As we continue in Corinthians, we'll see some of their problems, and then we can decide whether they were a lot more mature (or whatever) than we are.

But indulge me here for a minute and let's say that Paul's comment applies to us too. Enriched in every way, in speaking and knowledge, and not lacking in any spiritual gift -- that sounds pretty good. Are you hesitating to take some spiritual step because you don't think you've got what it takes -- in speaking, in knowledge, in spiritual gifts? Am I?

started yesterday, posted Saturday morning 8/5