"You
Shall Not Steal!"
Exodus
20:15
Ephesians
4:28
Jim
Davis
There was an article in the Washington Post
Weekly titled: "Honesty may no longer be the best policy." The article
revealed a study done by a California based foundation concluded: There
is a hole in the moral ozone layer, and it is probably getting bigger."
It is increasingly common for young people to lie, cheat and steal at school,
on the job and in personal relationships. It revealed that American kids
today are lying, cheating and stealing in unprecedented numbers.
Michael Josephson, president of the California
based foundation concluded that unethical behavior is so common among the
younger generation because adults have been poor examples and because society
fails to impose negative consequences for dishonest words and actions.
He says, "Their misbehavior is more often the product of survival strategies
and coping mechanisms than moral deficiency." ("Honesty may no longer be
the best policy" by Richard Morin. Washington Post Weekly, Dec 7, 1992.
Page 36.)
In a survey of U.S. high school students,
36% said they would plagiarize in order to pass a test; 67% would pad their
expense accounts; 50% would inflate an insurance claim; 66% would tell
a lie to reach a business objective; and 59% would risk six month's probation
in order to make $10 million on an illegal business deal.
Bryant Park in downtown Manhattan reopened
recently after a two-year renovation project. Security guards are posted
in all the new marble- and-tile restrooms, and some 200 of the new shrubs
are wired with burglar alarms to discourage thieves. (U.S. News & World
Report, May 4, 1992)
Asked if they would commit a crime for $10
million if they thought they could get away with it, nearly one out of
four people surveyed by Money magazine said they would do it.
If you found a wallet with $1,000 in it, would
you return it? Your answer may depend on your age. In the survey, people
age 18 to 34 were ten times more likely to keep the money than people 65
and above. (Pulpit Helps, Oct 1994)
In the United States every 24 hours 65 murders,
299 rapes, 3,088 aggravated assaults, 4,413 auto thefts, and 8,164 burglaries
are reported. (U.S. News & World Report, Nov 15, 1993)
Faith and Personal Ethics
According to a Gallop done for the Wall Street
Journal there is little connection between faith and personal ethics. When
I was in college the Christian bookstore on campus said that it had more
Bibles stolen than any other item. This was a problem in the church in
the city of Ephesus.
Ephesians 4:28
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. (NIV)
A man was taken to court for stealing an item
from a store. The man said to the judge, "Your Honor, I'm a Christian.
I've become a new man. But I have an old nature also. It was not my new
man who did wrong. It was my old man."
The judge responded, "Since it was the old
man that broke the law, we'll sentence him to 60 days in jail. And since
the new man was an accomplice in the theft, we'll give him 30 days also.
I therefore sentence you both to 90 days in jail."
Paul commands us to labor with our own
hands that we might have to give to others. Stealing is a sin against
God for it betrays our trusting him to provide for us. It is a sin against
society because it denies our love for our neighbor. It is a sin against
ourselves because we reveal our insecurity and ineptness to provide for
their own needs.
When we steal from others we are stealing
from ourselves for we are depriving ourselves of the opportunity of using
the gifts God has given each of us. The gift of our abilities has is a
gift from God. As a Christian, I must take inventory of what God has given
us. We must ask ourselves: Why has God me this gift?
Edmund Nenger was convicted in 1897 of counterfeiting
$20 bills. When the subject of restitution came up the only thing
of value Mr. Nenger had were a few paintings in his apartment, which he
had painted. The authorities seized these paintings and sold them at auction.
The paintings each sold for $5,000. How ridiculous. Mr. Nenger had not
only robbed others, he had robbed himself. He could of spent his time painting
portraits for $5,000 or counterfeiting $20 bills.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 Command those
who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their
hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who
richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do
good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation
for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly
life. (NIV)
We live in times when "things" define our
personal value, and, if we buy into this materialistic value system, we
will inevitably want more and more things. There will come a point that
we are tested morally as to what we will do in order to get more "things."
Matt 16:26-27
What good will it be for a
man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man
give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his
Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according
to what he has done. (NIV)
Luke 12:15
Then he said to them, "Watch
out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not
consist in the abundance of his possessions." (NIV)
Colossians 3:5
Put to death, therefore, whatever
belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil
desires and greed, which is idolatry. (NIV)
There must be a balance. It's all right to
own things, but that right does not justify grabbing for everything we
can get.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-12
Whoever loves money never has
money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the
abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. (NIV)
The thief takes because he's not content with
what he has. It's not a question of physical need but of spiritual deficiency.
He sees the things the Lord has given him, shakes his fist at the Almighty,
and says, "This is not enough. I deserve more, and if you will not provide
it for me, then I'll just take it myself."
We rob God of his glory when
we allow things to own us. Things can own us whether we are rich or poor.
And giving our hearts to "things" means taking our hearts from God.
We rob God of credibility by living lives
lacking in character.
Jeremiah 7:9-11
'Will you steal and murder,
commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods
you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which
bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"-- safe to do all these detestable
things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to
you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD. (NIV)
After F. E. Marsh preached on this subject,
a young man came to him and said, "Preacher, you have put me in a bad fix.
I've stolen from my employer, and I'm ashamed to tell him about it. You
see, I'm a boat builder, and the man I work for is an unbeliever. I have
often talked to him about Christ, but he only laughs at me. In my work,
expensive copper nails are used because they won't rust in water. I've
been taking some of them home for a boat I am building in my backyard.
I'm afraid if I tell my boss what I've done and offer to pay for them,
he'll think I'm a hypocrite, and I'll never be able to reach him for Christ.
Yet, my conscience is bothered."
Later when the man saw the preacher again,
he exclaimed, "Preacher, I've settled that matter and I'm so relieved."
"What happened when you told your boss?" asked the minister. "Oh, he looked
at me intently and said, 'George, I've always thought you were a hypocrite,
but now I'm not so sure. Maybe there's something to your Christianity after
all. Any religion that makes a man admit he's been stealing a few copper
nails and offer to settle for them must be worth having.'"
We rob God of honor by giving him meager offerings.
We buy the best for ourselves and give God what is left over.
Malachi 3:8-14
"Will a man rob God? Yet you
rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You
are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my
house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not
throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that
you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring
your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says
the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours
will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty. "You have said harsh
things against me," says the LORD. "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against
you?' "You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying
out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty?
(NIV)
Charles Spurgeon, was invited by a wealthy
Englishman to speak at the country church where the wealthy man worshiped.
It seems the congregation was trying to pay off some debt and they thought
having a famous preacher speak that day might help the contribution.
So the wealthy member wrote, Spurgeon, inviting
him to speak and offering to let him stay in his townhouse, his country
home, or his cottage by the sea. Spurgeon, it is said, wrote back a terse
note saying, "I'm not coming. Sell one of your places, and take care of
the debt yourself."
This news headline catches the eye: "Thief
Tries to Donate That Guilty Feeling." The Associated Press release gave
these details: "A burglar who stole $7,000 in jewelry, old coins, and cash
from a home here has mailed in the family's $10 church offering. An envelope
with a misspelled, hand- scrawled address arrived Friday at the church.
It contained the stolen sealed envelopes from a mother and her children.
'I think it's characteristic of the moral confusion of our times that someone
would consider stealing from widows and children, but think it reprehensible
to steal from the church,' the pastor said."
I'm sure most people who read that article
found it disgusting. That thief stole from a widow, tried to salve his
conscience by sending in the church offering, then kept the rest of the
loot for himself. The same type of thing happens all the time. A businessman,
for example, pulls a shady deal, then shows up in church on Sunday morning,
places his envelope in the collection plate, and prides himself in having
given the Lord 10 percent. After the service, he compliments the preacher
on his message and talks piously to his friends about the way God has blessed
him materially, even though it's ill-gotten gain.
"A minister in a small town was having trouble
with his collections. So one Sunday he announced from the pulpit: `Before
we pass the offering plate, I would like to request that the person who
stole the chickens from Brother Harvey's henhouse please refrain from giving
money to the Lord. The Lord doesn't want money from a thief.' "The collection
plate was passed around and, for the first time in many months, everybody
gave." (The Pastor's Story File, Sep 1987.)
Three Ways To Surrender.
Cultivate a thankful spirit.
Thanksgiving is not a holiday for God's child; it's a lifestyle. People
of character remember how much God has given them and how much more that
is than they deserve.
Share whenever you can. Many
early Christians were former thieves. A lot of others lost their jobs or
businesses as a result of becoming Christians and, so, faced the temptation
to steal.
Ephesians 4:28
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. (NIV)
Proverbs 11:25-26
A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. People curse the man
who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell. (NIV)
Trust God. It is the only way
we can keep our proper perspective on things. Have you noticed
how each principle has a way of coming back to the first? If God is not
Lord of all, he is not Lord at all. That's why and how people of character
keep "things" in perspective.
Matthew 6:19-21
"Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break
in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth
and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (NIV)
Matthew 6:33-34
But seek first his kingdom
and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)
Conclusion:
Trust God
Put God first.
It's as simple as that.
"As the following Jewish folk tale reminds
us, faith is often the path to other virtues (in this case, honesty): Once
a rabbi decided to test the honesty of his disciples, so he called them
all together and posed a question:
"`What would you do if you were walking along
and found a purse full of money lying in the road?' he asked.
"`I'd return it to its owner,' said one disciple.
"`His answer comes so quickly, I must wonder
if he really means it,' the rabbi thought.
"`I'd keep the money if nobody saw me find
it,' said another.
"`He has a frank tongue, but a wicked heart,'
the rabbi told himself.
"`Well, Rabbi,' said a third disciple. `I
believe I'd be tempted to keep it. So I would pray to God that He would
give me the strength to resist such temptation and do the right thing.'
"`Aha!' thought the rabbi. `Here is the man
I would trust.'" [The Book of Virtues by William Bennett. Simon & Schuster,
1993. Page 762.]
