The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/deuteronomy/5.htm

First Commandment – Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Second Commandment – 8‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 9you shall not bow[c] down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, [d]visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and [e]keep My commandments.

Third Commandment – 11‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him [f]guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Fourth Commandment – 12‘Observe the Sabbath day, to [g]keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Fifth Commandment – 16‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

Sixth Commandment – 17‘You shall not murder.

Seventh Commandment –18‘You shall not commit adultery.

Eighth Commandment – 19‘You shall not steal.

Excuse me while I open a can of worms.

This Commandment is pretty clear, don’t take things that do not belong to you. Pretty simple, huh?

Not quite so.

When we think of stealing, we thing of shoplifting an item from a store perhaps, or something more serious such as robbing a bank. But stealing has a much broader implication.

A very devout pastor once shared how he enjoyed eating at a particular Chinese buffet. He said he started at the head of the line, picked up a spoon for his won ton or egg drop soup, whichever it was, and because he had a plate in one hand and a bowl in the other. He went through the line and got his food, and forgot about the spoon. When he got to his table, there was a spoon already set there and he simply used it to eat with. But when he got home and night and was taking his things out of his suit pocket to hand it up, he found the spoon.

This man is a very devout Christian, and he said he worried about it all evening and through the night, having difficulty going to sleep worrying about his actions. Of course it wasn’t intentional, it was purely accidental, but still, he had stolen a spoon.

He said he awoke early the next morning so he had time to return the spoon before going to work, and he did. He said the owner was quite surprised. “You brought this back?”, he asked. “Yes”, said the pastor. The owner continued. “We go through thousands of spoons each year that people take…you’re the first one to return a spoon.”

Isn’t that a shame. I can assume that there are many people who wouldn’t think twice about slipping some silverware into their purse until they get a collection at home, and they probably don’t consider it “stealing”. In fact, it’s pretty disheartening when some people opening confess with an entitled attitude, “It’s a corporation, they can afford it.” But it’s still theft, and it’s still a violation of the Eighth Commandment.

Let’s see. How many more examples of “theft” can we think off. And by the way, “theft” is “stealing” and vice versa. I have a man that still tells me that, “he didn’t lie”, he “told a fib”, clearing thinking there is a different between the two.

Pardon me while I stop to confess my sins to God for the stealing I’ve done in my life.

My wife used to laugh because she had a collection of Dillon’s pens in her purse. She would write a check at the grocery store, then accidental still the pen in her purse when she was done. She often tried to excuse the action as “they want you to take the pens because they have “Dillon’s” printed on them and it’s good advertising”. I wasn’t a Christian back then and I laughed along with her. But today I think, “If they want you to take the pens, why isn’t there a sign or sticker that says, “Help yourself to the pens. It helps us advertise”.

Have you ever went to the grocery store and sample a grape, then chose not to buy them?

How may of you have taken a roll of tape from work because it’s Christmas Eve and you have gifts to wrap and you don’t have time to stop by the store?

How many have taken an extra long break at work, or left work early just a few minutes? Did you realize that leaving 5 minutes early each day accumulates to 160 hours each year, or 20 days of work? Multiply your hourly wage by 160 and you will get the actual dollar amount that you are stealing from your employer.

How many of you have borrowed a tool from your neighbor, then failed to return it? That’s stealing, even if it is unintentional.

My sister once went to a neighborhood market and bought some items. As she returned to her car, she put her clutch wallet on the roof of the car so she could put the groceries in the back seat. As she was doing it, she realized she had forgotten an item, and went back into the store to pick it up. Now at the cash register, she realized she left her clutch on the roof of the car, and when she went to retrieve it, it was gone. And she had the suspects as well because they were getting into their car at the same time. I have no doubt in my mind that they didn’t think twice about taking it.

And then there is a heart warming story I would like to relate, a story that my father used to tell.

There was a neighborhood market in town, and a man would always come in, walk around, then leave empty handed. The owner suspected him of shoplifting. One day the man came in, and the owner kept a close eye on him, and watched his take a five pound sack of flour and put it under his coat. “That’s it”, I’ve got him.

The man lived just a few blocks from town and took off on foot, the owner following close behind, ready to confront the man. He watched the man go into his house through a screened door, and when the owner stepped up on the porch and looked through the screen, he saw several destitute children standing around an open sack of flour, dipping their hands in an eating raw flour!

According to my fathers story, the market owner knocked on the door, and told the man to come back to the market and get as many groceries as he could carry.

I don’t condone theft. But just as Jesus justified healing the sick on Sabbath, and just as Jesus forgave the prostitute, I can’t help but think that Jesus will forgive this desperate man who wasn’t stealing to better himself, or stealing so he didn’t have to earn something he didn’t work for, but he stole to feed his hungry children.

I’m sure the story would have ended differently if the man had stolen soda or potato chips, but he didn’t. Even if it meant feeding his children raw flour, he did what he had to do to protect them.

How many things can you think of that you have stolen throughout your life? How many things can you think of that you are stealing today, but don’t consider it stealing?

Now that you know, can you ask God for forgiveness, repent, and stop that habit?

I’ll pray that you can, and I ask that you pray for my sins as well.

God bless you all.