One of the bedrock principles of our capitalist society in America is the idea of property. We can own things, and with that ownership comes certain rights, one of which is that no one can steal something that you own from you.
If you’ve ever been the victim of a robbery (or if you know someone who has), you know how deeply unsettling and violating it can be. No one wants to be stolen from.
Throughout history, the basic reality that people can both own property and have it stolen from them has been widely accepted. The Bible refers directly to this reality by laying out very serious consequences for a thief, including cutting off of hands, stoning, and of course, crucifixion (the thief on the cross next to Jesus). If you own property, you want it to be protected.
How seriously do we take stealing today? I mean, obviously we can look at the people who break into homes and clean them out as criminals. We can also easily identify the Bernie Madoff’s of the world as especially heinous in their ability to take money from people in cold blood. But is that all there is to it?
Consider these examples:
1. The clerk at McDonald’s gives you too much change and you don’t return it.
2. You take a pen from work and use it at home.
3. You indicate more for your charitable giving for tax purposes then what you actually contributed.
4. You have an expense account that gives you up to $25 per day for meals, you spend $3 and keep the $22.
5. You read personal emails at work and play internet games while you are on the clock.
6. You take longer than your hour lunch break for lunch.
7. Someone drops a $20 in front of you in line at the store, and you pick it up and use it to pay for your groceries.
8. You copy a CD or tape of your favorite music.
9. I order the all you can eat crab legs and you order a salad, but when my crab legs come, we share.
10. You do not give God back the first 10% of all He has given you.
How many of these examples would you say apply to that commandment which says, “You shall not steal” (Ex. 20:15)? And, more importantly, how does our response to stealing demonstrate what’s most important to us?
This Sunday, we’ll spend some time discussing these concepts. There are some significant questions about one’s relationship with God that need to enter into any discussion about property and theft, and my hope is that we can think deeply together about what our attitudes are about our stuff. If you have time, read Luke 12 before Sunday to get Jesus’ perspective on these issues, and let’s pray together that God’s Word and His Holy Spirit can transform the way we look at material things.
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Submitted by Pastor Tom, 9:41 am
