Back in the 1970s and early 1980s, I worked for the Ohio Adult Parole Authority. My main job was trying to make sure that the felons I supervised didn’t get into trouble again. That meant I drove around a lot, talked to a lot of people, and wrote a lot of reports.
Anyway, years later, I was cleaning out some junk in my home and I found 76 ink pens with “State of Ohio” written on them. Oops! With a pang of conscience, I wrapped them all up and mailed them back to my old employer.
“You shall not steal,” God says in the Ten Commandments. Theft—why does it matter to God?
Video here, and/or keep reading.
Like all the other Commandments, this one is also a window into God’s heart. I think God is saying two things about Himself here. First, he values your labor. The time, energy, and sacrifice you put into making a living matters to Him. Second, while our possessions do not provide ultimate security (that only comes from God), they do provide a measure of security. Without food, clothing, and shelter, we would be hurting. Without the means to make a living, we’d be hurting.
There was a time when I thought God’s requirements were arbitrary—they didn’t make sense to me. But the more I looked at the reason why, the more I see that God’s Commandments flow out of His loving heart toward us.
Dwight
PS. We make resolutions or set goals, yet sometimes something seems to be holding us back. Why can’t we lose weight, write that book, finish that project? What’s holding us back? Many times it’s hidden, inner barriers that God wants to remove from our lives. This week in Inner Wealth we’ll explore how that process works.
