The Eighth Commandment - You Shall Not Steal

The eighth commandment says : You Shall Not Steal. I have been thinking about this and reading some online sermons, then thinking some more.

One of the online bible studies by Jim Davis makes the point that everyone has stolen something at some time in their lives. Therefore we are all thieves. He lists many ways that we steal. Some of them are things that never entered my mind.  There is also a long list of the excuses we make for this. He says it much better than I can so You should go read it here.

There is another good bible study at St. John in the Wilderness.  They make the point that ownership of anything is a gift from God. Stealing is not only wronging the person stolen from but God himself. And stealing also implies that one does not trust God.

This one is hard. These days there are so many ways to steal and people don't really think anything of it. Just about everyone I know tries not to have to pay any taxes. That could be stealing. Finding something of value and not returning it is stealing. Going to work and goofing off...but still accepting your pay...that is stealing. Cheating on exams to get a grade you don't deserve...is that stealing? According to one pastor M.G. Blankenship "the greatest theft of all is an unrepentant, unsurrendered life!"

This one I'm going to have to work on. And think about a lot more. I don't like thinking of myself as a thief.