Is it right to covet?

But the Bible says not to covet many times (Exodus 20:17, Deuteronomy 5:21, Romans 13:9, Ephesians 5:3, and Colossians 3:5).  So is it right to covet or not?

Response

We should never covet earthly things, but we should covet spiritual gifts.

The verses commanding us to covet specifically mention spiritual things (“the best gifts,” “to prophesy”).  The first time coveting is condemned (the Ten Commandments), God specifically mentions physical things, like “thy neighbour’s house,” etc.  Coveting physical things is wrong and unhealthy, but coveting spiritual gifts is both healthy and recommended.  Put another way, we should be content with our position physically, but we should never be content with our position spiritually.