When my twin sister and I were 5 years old, we began counting the money we had in our piggybanks. It turned out that one of us had more than the other. To our young minds, this just wasn’t right. So, we decided to balance our accounts by helping ourselves to our mother’s money!
Since then, I’m not proud to confess, there have been times I’ve “helped myself” to the shared music and ebooks uploaded on nonofficial websites. As I did so, an iffy feeling inside me told me it was wrong. But I simply shoved it aside.
I couldn’t plead ignorance any longer, however. God’s Word confronted me: “You must not steal” (Exodus 20:15). This commandment is straightforward and perfectly clear: “You” who belong to God and trust that God is your provider “must not” ever consider it acceptable to pilfer; “steal”—take what’s not yours and make it your own.
When we steal, we’re telling God two things: “I don’t really trust You to give me what I need” and “my desire for what I want is greater than my desire to obey You.” Essentially, we’re violating the Great Commandment—to love God with our all.
One preacher commented, “So often people take what is not theirs because they can’t or won’t wait for it, or believe they shouldn’t have to wait for it.”
The apostle Paul wrote about what we should do with such wrong perspectives: “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need” (Ephesians 4:28).
The opposite of stealing is obtaining what we need through honest labor. Work, then you’ll have the money for your living expenses and the ability to give generously to others who are in need.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 21:18-36
More:
Read the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10 and note what he did after being saved through an encounter with Jesus.
Next:
What forms of stealing are prevalent in our culture today? How can you begin to cultivate a spirit of hard work and generous giving?
Gary Shultz on November 10, 2014 at 6:34 am
I confess, I think we steal more than we think we do. Stealing, time, credit, a look, and on and on the list goes. We may not have a stash of hardware or goods, but we take what belongs to God all the time and it reflects with others too. We are but train wrecks. Thank God for His gift Jesus and His love.
sercher on November 10, 2014 at 2:05 pm
Thanks, Poh!
God says ‘Do not steal’- No caveats, exceptions or footnotes!
That’s a hard task to do for many, including me. Although I don’t steal things literally, I find myself in ‘a thief on the loose’ situation doing just the same thing Poh wrote about in this devotional.
I woud add that stealing may involve not just physical things we steal from God, but such intangible things like TIME to worship God or GOOD WORDS we keep from sharing with others. Every so often these subtle matters are merely neglected by us.
One thing that can put an end to it is the confrontment. It can be outward or inward like Poh’s. Thanks God for His Word that can challenge us at the right moment!
There’s a lot on this subject in the sermon delivered by Gary Massey.
ghchong on November 10, 2014 at 7:47 pm
Yah lar, question: Is God using you? Or are you using God?
Mike Wittmer on November 11, 2014 at 9:41 am
Thanks for sharing this, poh. This is one of those “white sins” that Christians often shrug at. But stealing is stealing. My friend in Liberia said his dad told him that you can steal more with a pen than you can with a gun. In today’s world, we should add “you can steal more with a click.”