Are You A Thief?

Are you a thief? Heavens, no! I can almost hear the shocked replies resounding through cyberspace. I ask this question because twice last week I happened to hear sermons/lectures on stealing, and I thought, is the Holy Spirit trying to say something to me? Well, I join with you in saying, "Heavens, no!"

 I heard this joke a long time ago. A man wrote to the IRS that he was sending them a check for money owed. The letter ended, "And if I still cannot sleep tonight, I'll send you the rest." You may have never cheated on your taxes, but have you ever taken anything home from your job? Pens, paper clips, paper, what-have-you? You might say, "Those things were given to me." Yes, but were they given to you personally, or were they given to be used on your job? There's a difference.

In one of the sermons, the preacher mentioned tools he had borrowed from friends and were still sitting in his garage months later. If the owner has to come to retrieve them, that's as good as stealing.

What about time? Do you steal your employer's time? Talking on the phone during working hours, surfing the internet or facebook, gossiping with co-workers. This is not to say that every minute of your eight hours will be spent with your nose to the grindstone, but when you do four hours' work everyday for eight hours' pay, your boss may not see it immediately, but God does.  

The Bible says, "Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:" (Colossians 3: 22)

Finally, do you steal from God? If you plead guilty to any of the above, you already steal from God because everything belongs to Him. He put you in that job to be a light for Him, but there is a more spiritual way, if you will, that we steal from God. And that is with our tithes and offering.

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

Many people say they cannot afford to tithe. My take on this is, you cannot afford not to tithe. God has proved this to me more than once.

We all have things in our life of which we are not proud. Stealing, in the ways mentioned above, may not get you into prison, but it can prevent God's blessings from flowing to you the way they should. If you feel the Holy Spirit convicting you of this, or any other sin, ask Him to deliver you and to make you pure and holy as He wants you to be.

You Are His Temple

Recently, I was very pleased to see a news item on television about a singing group that had pledged to keep their virginity until they were married. That in itself was amazing in today's world of immorality, especially among youth, but even more amazing is the fact that the singers were all young men. Not surprisingly, they were ridiculed and called ugly names by a popular comedian. But it was also gratifying to hear other young entertainers praise the group for their courageous, moral stand.

The world needs more young people like these, who would stand up for godly principles and not follow the crowd. The Bible states: :"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, ye should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:12). And again, "Know ye not that ye are the tremple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

Young people, protect your body. Keep it holy. Take a stand for righteousness, and God will protect you and honor you.