Do not steal

And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall not steal.

Exodus 20:1‭-‬2‭, ‬15 ESV

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Ephesians 4:28 ESV

https://bible.com/bible/59/eph.4.28.ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

The ways we steal

We steal outright by robbery, hijack, burglary, extortion, etc. We steal passively by withholding wages, not paying back loaned money, not upholding our vows. It can be withholding time, money, even affection.

The way we change

Faith, walking by it, is the easy to change. This is not just willpower. There is temptation to a thief to return to their old lifestyle. We need to consider how content we are in God and what He has given us. God delivers the nation of Israel from Egypt. Egypt, which demanded labor and paid no wages. God gave to this nation. This nation was called to be a blessing to the nations in return for God's blessing. Israel was to be a witness to this selfless generous God. We need to find contentment in God's provision. God gave us his only son. Jesus became poor so that we could become rich. 

The way we give

We are called to faithful stewardship. We are called to use our time for honest work. We are to use our money more faithfully. We are called to follow Jesus, die to ourselves, and bring glory to God.