Ex 20:15: You shall not steal.
Stealing is taking away another man’s property by force or fraud, without the knowledge, and against the will of the owner thereof. Any form of stealing is prohibited and it is a sin.
The sixth commandment requires that we regard life and safety of others as we do to our own (love your neighbor as you love yourself).
There are so many forms and ways of stealing. Stealing is stealing no matter whether you still something small or big. There is nothing like a ‘petty theft’ in God’s sight; the character of those who steal a little is the same as those who steal much.
Every person has broken the commandment: – You shall not steal
Every person has stolen. Yes! No one can deny this. We, at one time or another, has taken what was not given, lifted something that was not purchased, owned something we did not earn, kept something we did not inherit, destroyed something that was not ours etc.
Whether it’s a friends toy, a customer’s or seller’s balance, a scammed slice of software, a copyrighted piece of music (piracy), taped or written, that small office supply from the office, that idea someone else worked hard to put together, getting that extra special deal at a garage sale for a person who didn’t know the value of what they were selling, time from our employer, even a person’s innocence, or their good reputation taken away, destroyed by gossip. The myriad of ways to steal is endless.
The act of someone taking what may be precious to us, pieces our hearts. They stability of a society depends on how secure it is in terms of theft. Theft results in a feeling of fear and insecurity and a desire to revenge for those the devil overcome.
Man can steal from fellow-man and rob God. If you do not tithe, you rob God. Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed Me (Malachi 3:8-9).
Thieves will never inherit heaven. We see Jesus driving out thieves in the house of God. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves’ (Matthew 21:12-13)
Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
God’s provision for us is sufficient and we need not to steal . We must fight to overcoming the evil each day presented to us. What we steal is only worldly and in any minute perishing. Let’s focus on heaven.
Matthew 6: 19-34 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Be blessed.
