thief | Craig T. Owens

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Are You A Thief?

November 10, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

There are different kinds of thieves. There’s the one that acknowledges, “I’m a thief. I take things that don’t belong to me. I use cunning and skill, and force if I need to.” Then there’s the one who steals quietly without ever realizing he’s stealing.

In the Ten Commandments when God says, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15), guess what type of thief He’s talking about? It’s not the brazen, bold thief, but the one who may not even realize he’s stealing.

The Hebrew word for steal means move by stealth, take something secretly, or deceive someone. How can we steal?

By stealing time on the job when we don’t give a full day’s work for a full day’s pay (Ephesians 6:5-7).
By not giving an A+ effort in all that we do (Deuteronomy 25:13-16).
By claiming “finders keepers,” which isn’t at all sanctioned in the Bible (Deuteronomy 22:1-3).
By not paying our debts quickly (Leviticus 19:13; Romans 13:8).
By borrowing something without asking permission or giving credit (Deuteronomy 19:14).

All of these are subtle, stealthy, secretive ways of robbing someone of time, ideas, value, interest, credit, or even actual possessions!

So here are 4 ways to avoid becoming an thief:

Learn to be content with what you have—Philippians 4:12-13.
Don’t let worry rule your life—Matthew 6:25-34.
Work hard for your employer or employees—Ephesians 6:5-9.
If you have stolen, make full restitution as quickly as possible—Luke 19:8.

Every one of the Ten Commandments are broken in our hearts long before they are worked out in our bodies. So listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you to make sure you are not a sneaky thief!

If you have missed any of the messages in our series The Love In The Law, you can find them all by clicking here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, Calvary Assembly of God, debt, deception, effort, employment, love, restitution, steal, Ten Commandments, thief, work ethic. 1 Comment »

We Were Robbed!

August 7, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Yesterday morning I walked into the church and noticed the office door was open. “Hmm,” I thought to myself, “I am sure that I closed that door before I left yesterday.”

Then I walked around the corner and noticed my office door standing open. “I know I closed that door,” I said. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I could feel all my muscles starting to tense. I walked into my office and saw the mess. I looked more closely at my office door and saw it had been jimmied open. So too had the office door.

Someone broke into the church. We had been robbed!

I made an inventory through the church, called the sheriff, and called our Board members. What else was there to do? I returned to my office, sat down in my chair, and looked around my office. Two thoughts overwhelmed me:

1. All of the things that were taken were replaceable. I am grateful that the things that have sentimental value to me were left untouched.

2. The words from Matthew Henry’s journal on the day he was robbed immediately came to mind:

“Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I that robbed.”

So sitting in my office waiting for the sheriff deputy to arrive I prayed. I thanked God for His protection, and I prayed for the desperate individual who broke in. Clearly, this is someone who is at their wit’s end. Our thief is someone who needs my prayers, not my scorn.

I still feel violated. I still had a sick feeling in my stomach all day (and even now as I recall the events of yesterday). But I also remain grateful to God for His protection, and I’m continuing to pray for our thief that in His desperation He will meet this same loving God.