“You must not steal.” (Exodus 20:15 NLT)

 

Several years ago, I got a call from my credit card company. They said, “Mr. Laurie, have you been in India lately making any purchases?” I said, “No, I have never been to India.” It seems that someone had gotten my credit card number and gone on a spending spree. Later, it was determined that the theft was an inside job. Someone who worked for the credit card company had given my information to someone else.

We’re living in a world of theft. Of course, some people are better at it than others. A man in Miami tried to rob a deli, but the owner broke his nose by hitting him with a giant salami. The man fled the scene and hid in the trunk of a parked car. The car belonged to an undercover police team that was trailing a different criminal. After five days, the officers heard the man whimpering in the trunk and arrested him.

A teenager in Belmont, New Hampshire, robbed a local convenience store and got away with a pocketful of change. He didn’t realize that there were holes in his pockets. Police officers followed the trail of coins leading to his front door and arrested him.

Police in Wichita, Kansas, arrested a twenty-two-year-old man in an airport hotel after he tried to pass two counterfeit $16 bills.

The apostle Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 4:28 would have been helpful to these would-be criminal masterminds. “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need” (NLT). In other words, stop taking and start giving.

Jesus gave similar counsel to Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Zacchaeus was a Jewish man who worked as a tax collector for the hated Romans. (You can imagine how popular he was among his fellow Jews.) Not only did Zacchaeus collect the exorbitant taxes demanded by Rome, but he also tacked on extra fees to line his own pockets. And no one could do anything about it because he had the power of Rome to protect him.

One day as Jesus was passing through Zacchaeus’ hometown of Jericho, He spotted the tax collector. Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home. That displeased the good people of Jericho, who didn’t think Jesus should mingle with such a notorious thief. But after spending some time with Jesus, Zacchaeus made a public announcement. “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” (verse 8 NLT).

From this story and Paul’s words to the Ephesians, we find the ideal response to the eighth commandment. One, don’t steal anymore. Two, do something useful. God honors honest, hard-working people. Three, share with others.

“You must not steal” is only the starting point. The way you define what’s “yours” will go a long way toward determining the way you live out your Christian faith. And in that sense, giving is always better than taking.

 

Reflection question: What would doing something useful and sharing with others look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.