Covetousness and seeking after good gifts are very different things. When we covet, we allow ourselves to become obsessed with the object of our desire. This obsession impairs our ability to feel the Spirit.
In contrast, seeking good gifts is necessary to temporal and spiritual salvation. For example, I seek after those things which will help my wife and son to be healthy, clothed, fed, sheltered, etc. Although I am seeking these things, the pursuit of them does not stand between me and the Lord. Rather, I am fulfilling the stewardship He gave me over them.
|