God’s eighth commandment: `You shall not steal.` We don’t need this one, do we? I mean, it’s obvious. `Honesty is for losers`, say some of our fellow-citizens, but no follower of Jesus says that. We know it’s better to be honest and be sure our reward will be in heaven; as it undoubtedly will.
Except… the question is not, Am I in danger of fitting in a quick robbery on the way to a prayer meeting. It’s: Are there ways I’m likely to grieve God’s Spirit by breaking God’s command here, and either not bothering or not noticing what I’m doing?
So when might I do that?
• When I’m careless about my business expenses?
• When I evade paying the taxes I should?
• When I take things from my workplace for personal use?
• When I don’t work my full hours, instead surfing the web, making personal phonecalls or doing shopping in work time?
• When I bend the rules downloading things I should be paying for – torrenting games or software, streaming movies or TV shows illegally?
• When I don’t bother to return things I’ve borrowed?
• When, because I can, I pay what really I know isn’t a fair amount to employees or business partners?
• When I bend the truth for business purposes, or to get something for myself or my business or family that should go elsewhere if I told the whole story? – that’s theft too…
And with some of these we may well feel, It doesn’t matter, nobody’s really getting hurt. No, but: first of all, we’re sinning against our Father. And then, as Jesus says, it’s actually a matter of learning the discipline essential to spiritual growth, discipline that will determine things in our afterlife: `Whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?` (Luke 16).
Three thoughts to finish with:
Buying goods that are cheap because they’re produced by people paid unfair wages – isn’t that active theft too, stealing from the labourers? (Have a look at thegoodshoppingguide.com.)
J John (see Ten: Laws of Love Set In Stone again) quotes Zacchaeus’ determination, when he repents of his thefts, to make restitution, and says: `Time and time again when I speak on the subject of stealing, I encourage people to return stolen goods. If they can’t return them to where they came from, I suggest they hand them over to a charity or a neutral party.` How might that apply in the examples above?
And most important, Edith Schaeffer asks: `Is it possible to steal from God?` Hardly, surely – but then she quotes Malachi 3: ‘Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, “How are we robbing you?” In tithes and offerings.` Important! And what else might that apply to?- how we’re using God’s talents that He’s entrusted to us; God’s hours that He’s entrusted to us; God’s future years that He’s entrusted to us to plan…?
Perhaps, after all, we each need to reflect for a while, asking the Spirit of Holiness to help us sense where this commandment refers to us?!
