“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15
“You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?” Romans 2:21
We can steal in a number of ways. We steal:
- Money – when we pick somebody’s pocket
- Possessions – when we break in and take jewelry
- Reputation – when we gossip about a person
- Time – when we make demands on others
- Emotional energy – when we constantly talk about our troubles
- Position – when we steal an election!
I will not go into all the ways our government steals from us. That would take the whole page! I have suggested Al Mohler’s Briefing (The Briefing with Albert Mohler – it’s free on your computer) to you before and he goes into all the political news, including how our government steals from us by mis-using our taxes.
Instead, I will mention the ways we can steal from our government.
- Cheating on our income tax
- Taking food stamps when we don’t need them
- Applying for welfare instead of working when we can work
The Scripture has something to say about that:
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Ephesians 4:28
We should all be concerned when people in our country would rather take stimulus money or be on welfare rather than get a job. We, as Christians, should not be one of them!
But to me the most grievous way we steal is when we rob God.
“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.” Malachi 3:8-9
God makes it clear when he says that we rob him when we don’t give to his church or his work in the world. But he also makes a wonderful promise:
“Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” Malachi 3:10
I learned this lesson early in my life. From my very first job, I tithed. I have never regretted it and I have never been in need. God is faithful to his promises. Not only that, I have also seen God open the windows of heaven so that I can “have something to share with anyone in need”.
The truth is that joy comes from giving. Guilt comes from stealing.
Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteLook at what God has done - 52 posts! A full year. How good it is to see a piece of His handiwork in one place.
It helps me to continue to see how all the Commandments are intertwined with one another.
Yes, praise to the One who has done this for a full year and counting. Thank you, Rosemary for connecting to us in this way. I look forward to each post. And I, too, have marveled at how God blesses those who give their first fruits to Him.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouragement every week and its already a year! It is Amazing to see how God use us even when we feel we can't do more.
ReplyDelete