Can I pray for you in any way?
Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
"You shall not steal." Exodus 20:15
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
At face value, this eighth commandment would seem pretty easy to interpret. This is because we most often attach the word "steal" to when someone takes something that belongs to another person.
Indeed, through the ages we have found people to rob money from others. Maybe it’s taking a few dollars from someone you know who leave their wallet in a place of easy access out of trust.
More sophisticated thieves might become skilled in picking a person’s pocket or stealing a purse. I am getting set to travel abroad this fall and just read an article on the tactics that shoplifters are using, usually around popular tourist attractions.
Ramping this to another level, we have criminals out there who don’t hesitate to pull out a gun and demand a person hand over their money or even their car in some cases. To not comply can have deadly consequences.
Then there are shoplifters who steal items from a store without paying. The property they steal still belongs to the store because they haven’t purchased the item and if they are successful, the store takes a loss and typically those losses result in higher prices paid by honest customers.
Finally, there is the matter of cyber-stealing through identity theft or shrewdly gaining our credit card information so to make purchases that get the victim gets billed for. Withdrawals are also sometimes made where people lose precious funds from their bank accounts.
Yes, there are no shortage of ways that we find people violating the eighth of the ten commandments given by God and this all leads up to a simple question:
Have you ever stolen anything?
Before you answer that, let’s dig a little deeper into this matter, the matter of taking unlawfully taking something away from another.
For stealing isn’t always about tangible, material items, is it?
When writers commit plagiarism, they steal another person’s music or words.
When a person intentionally tries to harm another either physically or emotionally, they rob the victim of their, often along with their joy, happiness, and peace.
When someone murders another, they steal away a life and leave a gaping hole in the hearts of all who loved them.
When anyone abuses or neglects someone else, they steal away the victim’s dignity and self esteem.
When someone commits adultery, they steal a spouse and their love away from the one who is their rightful life partner.
And when we willingly lie to another, we steal their trust.
So again, I ask:
Have you ever stolen everything?
As we have seen in previous messages on God’s great commandments, we all fall way short of meeting God’s expectation for our lives. Thankfully, gaining eternal life isn’t dependent on perfect adherence to God’s law because no one would qualify for salvation. Everyone would be hopeless in this life with Hell in their future.
This should all the more bring us to a place where we give all thanks and praise to our Savior Jesus, the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world through willingly giving Himself up as an atoning sacrifice on the cross of Calvary (John 1:29). Truly, by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5) as He set every one of His disciples free from our certain condemnation (John 8:36, Romans 8:1). Through Him, all Christian believers are placed on a narrow path of righteousness that leads to life everlasting.
If you have placed your belief in Jesus, He has freed you from your sin captivity and brought you the glory and blessings of His redemption. It’s the greatest gift that God offers every man and woman on earth and given its value, you can see where Satan tries to steal it away. The good news is that the enemy will never gain the victory over anyone who is in Christ Jesus. Every single disciple is secure forever in Him.
Given this, do you know Jesus in your life or have you allowed Satan to steal Him away from your heart?
If so, rejoice and be glad because I am here to assure you that what has been stolen can be reclaimed. For when it comes down to it, your Father God is your Maker and Master. You belong to Him and He is your rightful Owner. Given this, He stands ever at the ready to take you back to Him, bring you to His Son for salvation, and ensure that the devil will never be able to take you away because you will have come a true child of God, a co-heir to the Kingdom with His Son, and therefore, one of His most prized and valuable possessions.
God’s message is clear.
There’s no need to steal or allow yourself to be stolen because in our Lord, we have everything we could ever hope for and all we could ever need.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment