Meditation

12/28/2021

“You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)

Persons in most societies can own their own property, although they may not be able to afford to purchase their own property. If we borrow someone else’s property, we are bound to take care of said property and to return in the same condition that we borrowed if from. In short, we are to take care of the property as if is was our own, until we return it to its rightful owner. We must understand that God, however, is the ultimate Owner of all property, as it His creation. To take property from someone is a violation of their personhood.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, we are not to covet the property of others, but it is okay for us to go to the rightful owner and ask to borrow it for a short time, as long as we take care of it and return it to its rightful own in the agreed upon time. By so doing, we honor the person who allowed us to borrow the property and we show respect by returning it to the rightful owner in a timely manner. This we pray. Amen

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Our strength is seen in he things we stand for.”

KNOWING GOD:

“The Lord said to Moses: ‘If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving his neighbor about something entrusted to him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him, or if he finds lost property and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, of if he commits any such sin that people may do—-when he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted o him, or the lost property he found, for whatever it was he he found, or whatever it was he swore falsely about. He must make restitution in full,, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt offering.” (Leviticus 6:1-5)

Thieves must make things right with the offended human party and with God. Theft is both a crime and a sin. Part of society’s justice involves restitution plus penalties for lost income and emotional distress. This simply means we must be held accountable for what was stolen, plus penalty fees as a result of the theft.

I AM:

“‘Do not steal.’ ‘Do not lie.’ ‘Do not deceive one another.’” (Leviticus 19:11)

There is a commonality between the “Ten Commandments,” and the “Do Not’s.” To be holy means taking concrete actions, not simply unattainable goals. Therefore one must: a) make provision for the poor and the homeless; b) practice honesty toward all others; c) not keeping or keeping anything that belongs to another person; d) not taking advantage of disabled persons; e) be just in any dealings with both the rich and the poor; f) do not engage in gossip or lies to get what we desire; g) do nothing that would endanger a neighbor’s life; h) being God’s people we are to seek corrective changes in the lives of our neighbors through the application of redemptive love. In short, we are to be honorable men, women, and children of the Living God and strive to bring honor to His name through our words and deeds.

2ND THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Do not steal.” (Deuteronomy 5:19)

Often when someone asks a question about stealing, it is because they have either already committed the act, or are considering the act. If you purchase an item and receive more than you deserve in return, then when you notice the error of the cashier, you should immediately return it to them and reveal the mistake that they made. Someone might say, “It’s their mistake and when they come up short, they will learn a lesson to be more careful.” God’s says, “It may have been their mistake, but to keep the money would be stealing.” “If I borrow my neighbor’s lawn mower and break it, I am not to simply return it.” It is my responsibility to return the mower to its owner in the same or better condition than what it was in when I took it in the first place. Otherwise, I have acted not in an honorable manner, and it causes distress between the neighbor and I and it is my lack of having the mower repaired before returning it.

Just a few examples of how Satan, the Great Deceiver would tell you, “Oh, it wasn’t in that good of condition in the first place.” We all know that the right thing to do is to return whatever you have borrowed back fully operational. This is the right thing to do, and is all part of living out our lives in a holy way, without deception.