“You shall not steal.”
A child’s instinct is to believe he or she is entitled to have anything he or she sees. Parents go through a time of development, teaching their little ones that wanting something and owning something are not the same. Most also go a step further, teaching children to share what they have with others. This desire to take what is not ours is natural and begins early in life. When we steal, we are gaining at someone else’s expense. We are allowing a material item or immaterial credit to come between us and a fellow image-bearer, a person also made in the likeness of God.
Stealing credit for a story may make us look good to those around us, but it misses the opportunity to lift someone else up. When we steal something we want or even need, we distrust God’s provision. He is the One who provides for all our needs so that we don’t have to live like a tight-fisted toddler yelling, “Mine!” Because our God is our provider, He will care for our needs, and He will provide in the anxieties that we face. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” When we feel discontent, tempted to steal credit or possessions for ourselves, we can run to our heavenly Father and trust that He will provide rest for our souls. He is the perfect provider, and in Him we have all we need.
- When have you been tempted to steal? How might you be tempted to steal in a way that doesn’t involve physical items?
- What does it look like to trust God’s provision daily?
- Pray and thank God for His provision for all we need.
