D&C 56: 16-20
Thou shalt not covet. It's one of the ten commandments. If it was important enough to make it into one of the things that the Lord wanted his people to work on ever since the time of Moses, it's probably still pretty important now. One of the many problems with coveting is that it ruins relationships. The first relationship that it damages is that of ours with our Lord. When we covet, we are not recognizing what we do have, and thus we cannot have a thankful heart. Who, being thankful can look at what they have and want more? Who being truly grateful for what the Lord has blessed them with can lust after what another has? Covetousness puts a wedge in our relationship with our God because it is as if we are saying that what he has given us is not enough.
Another relationship that covetousness damages is that of the one who possesses the object or quality we are coveting. If we covet our neighbors clothes, their spouse, their home... if we are jealous of them in any manner, then we put our relationship with them in jeopardy. We will no longer be able to view them as people who have accomplished great things, but rather as competition; and competition never fosters a loving relationship.
The lord does not want us to look at what others have and be jealous. He wants us to recognize what we have and be happy with what he has given us. He knows what we need. He will make sure we have the things that are essential for our happiness and progression. It's important that we don't get caught up in all of the "stuff" of the world, and that we focus on what really matters most.
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