Stealing vs. Working

Monday, November 10 2014

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 e-books uploaded on non official 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 prespectives : "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 work. WOrk, then you´ll have the money for your living expenses and the ability to give generously to others who are in need. - Poh Fang Chia

Read
Ephesians 4:17-28
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Luke 19:1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter. "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord. "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Question to Ponder
What forms of stealing are prevalent in our culture today? 
How can you begin to cultivate a spirit of hard work and generous giving?

**Article taken from the ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Sept - Nov 2014 issue