Do Not Steal.

Exo 20:15  Thou shalt not steal. 

We all agree that stealing is wrong. Even criminals who steal know that it's wrong when they do it. Some will justify stealing- the Robin Hood scenarios for one, but they too still comprehend the wrongness of stealing. Stealing is taking something that isn't yours to take.

Stealing.

Dictionary Definition-  Take something unlawfully. Take something furtively. Dishonestly present somebody's work as yours. Sneak, in hopes of not being caught.

Thesaurus terms-  theft, robbery, burglary, larceny, thieving, pilfering, shoplifting, pocketing, embezzlement, appropriation, pinching, nicking.

You can steal more than tangible items. Honor can be stolen. Ideas can be stolen. When you take something that doesn't belong to you in any way, you are stealing. 

Can you steal from God?

Mal 3:8  Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 

If something belongs to God, something is rightfully God's and we withhold it from Him and His purposes, we are truly stealing from God.

Psa 29:2  Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 

The glory DUE to the Lord's name, the worship DUE to the Lord- people are stealing that as well. It is God's it belongs to Him and to withhold it is thievery of another kind, but stealing nonetheless.

Pro 3:9  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 

Pro 3:10  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. 

The Lord gives us blessings untold and we are in turn to honor Him with those blessings, do we?

Mat 22:21  They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 

Do we render to God the things that are God's?  Do we do this--

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

We are supposed to do that, but do we, really? Or do we reserve the majority of our heart, soul and mind for others, or even for self?

Rom 2:21  Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 

We should not steal!

Yet we have agreed that a lot of things really *aren't* stealing haven't we? Taking a little extra when we don't need it really, just because it may be free. Is that thievery? Stealing has been redefined in a lot of ways especially in a world with digital, online, technological stealing. 

If we do not know, truly do not know, if something is stealing shouldn't we err on the side of caution? When the lines are blurred it is best to opt for the -NOT- aspect than the -OKAY- aspect.  The old adage to be safe rather than sorry is truly something we need to consider.

Let's back up a moment to the stealing from God the glory due to Him, the worship due to Him. I can't help but think of the Sabbath, most likely because it is the Sabbath right now. How many people do not honor God's command to keep the day holy and instead steal the day meant for holiness and make it a day like any other for their own whims?

Stealing holy time from God, it is a real thing if we truly stop and pray about it and study His holy word then we'd know the truth of the matter.

The Sabbath was made for us- it was made holy, it was sanctified. When the royal law was decreed by God has He used His own finger to carve the law into stone, we were told to REMEMBER the Sabbath day- to keep it holy. 

It was a day MADE for us to use as God intended us to use it, for His glory and we all know that when we are honoring God, when we are worshiping Him we are the ones who are blessed. God blessed US by setting aside this Holy Time for us, and when we refuse to honor the Sabbath, we steal this holy time meant to be filled with God's blessings and make it unholy.

May God help us to comprehend what it truly means NOT to steal, to know that if we LOVE GOD, if we LOVE OUR SAVIOR, we will KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS- and we are commanded NOT TO STEAL!

God help us towards this end. Help us to know when we are in danger of being deceived by Satan in any way. Help us to comprehend all the truth of Your commandments God, help us to live as You would have us live, to LOVE YOU and KEEP YOUR COMMANDMENTS! We would be YOURS. Forgive us, Lord, please forgive us when we fail you so miserably and so often! Please cover us in Your righteousness, we have none of our own, not a single bit!

All through YOUR LOVE, YOUR AMAZING LOVE!