Thou shalt not steal

Exodus 20:15 states, “Thou shalt not steal.” This was the eighth of ten commandments that God gave to his people so they would live to please Him. These ten commandments separated Israel from the rest of the world, for no other nation was given these ten commandments. No other nation worshipped the true and living God at this juncture in human history either, for all other nations worshipped either idols or nature in some form. The bottom line is that God demands honesty from his people. A dishonest person dishonors his God, his testimony, his family, and his church, if he attends one.

Tony Evans shares a short illustration in his book, Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations, page 164. “A preacher got on the bus one day, and he gave the bus driver the fare. The bus driver gave him too much change. The preacher went and sat down, counted the money, and noted that the bus driver gave him too much change, and so he went back to the bus driver and said, ‘You gave me too much change. You gave me fifty cents too much.’ He said, ‘Pastor, I really appreciate this, because I was in your church service yesterday, and I heard your sermon on honesty. So I intentionally gave you too much change to see whether you abide by what you preach.’”

People are listening to what we say and watching what we do. They are weighing the evidence of our lives to see what it is producing. Does it add up to what it is supposed to? Trust is one of the most vital principles by which we should live our lives. No person can truly be confident in any relationship with another person if they do not have trust in that person. To be able to entrust your valuables with another person in full confidence, whether it be shared words of importance, material possessions of worth, or a promise to be kept is one of this world’s greatest treasures! Broken trust is hard to win back. Think about it.

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