How many of us have taken a pen or something from work, which didn’t belong to us? How many of us have checked out of the hotel and decided to take home a few souvenirs that belong to the hotel; towels, robes, etc? How many of us have eaten at a restaurant and walked out without paying? How about taken fruit off of our neighbors tree without their permission and eaten it? How about taken more than one newspaper from the newspaper stand after paying for only one newspaper.
I know some of these things seem petty, but stealing is stealing. “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” John 10:10 Stealing can easily lead to other sins, lying and even killing. You might ask how can someone taking a pen or stapler from work, walking out of an restaurant without paying, taking an extra newspaper from the news stand or taking a robe from the hotel lead to lying and evening killing? Well it happens a lot. Do you think if a person is asked where did they get that nice looking pen, they would tell you they stole it from work? Some may, but I don’t believe everyone would.
As we are walking in the mall an hour later after leaving the restaurant without paying, a waiter comes up to us, ask us did we pay for our meal surely we will say no and go back to pay for it. If we say yes, then we commit another sin; lying! We are at the grocery store; after paying for our groceries we notice that the cashier gave us back ten dollars too much in change, naturally everyone gives them back the extra change, right? If not, here is a sin that can now cost someone his or her job! Do we take the time out to think that the extra ten dollars we just received may cause someone his or her job, a job they need to support their family!
If we believe someone saw us stealing do we panic and run? If caught stealing do we fight to get away? Do we hurt the person or persons trying to turn us in for the sin we committed? Do we go all out and KILL them if it will help us to get away? You may say that I would never kill someone because I skipped out on paying for a meal. Well, we may not mean to kill anyone but in that minute of panic and uncertainty who knows what we will do, not to go to jail! As one of my church members said in bible study this week, a sin is a sin! Yes, I know we all fall short of the glory of God, but we must do our best to stay away from sin. Sin leads to more sin and sin is a separation from our Lord!
Mat. 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” As we are stealing do men see our light shining as to see our good works or do they see that we have given in to sin?
Can we miss going to heaven for just taking a pen from work, skipping out without paying for our meal, keeping that extra change from the cashier, taken an extra newspaper from the news stand, or leaving the hotel with that robe that doesn’t belong to us? Are we really willing to take that chance on missing heaven and spend eternity in HELL? Once we take that trip to Hell there is no second chance! Here is even a better question, is that pen really worth the trip?
You may be right, it’s just a pen and the company won’t miss it. Here is the thing; GOD won’t miss us taking that pen either! As we continue to take this journey with God, remember He will not assist us in any bad or evil things. If we want to get to heaven we must make sure we are traveling with the one that can get us there!How many of us have taken a pen or something from work, which didn’t belong to us? How many of us have checked out of the hotel and decided to take home a few souvenirs that belong to the hotel; towels, robes, etc? How many of us have eaten at a restaurant and walked out without paying? How about taken fruit off of our neighbors tree without their permission and eaten it? How about taken more than one newspaper from the newspaper stand after paying for only one newspaper.
I know some of these things seem petty, but stealing is stealing. “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” John 10:10 Stealing can easily lead to other sins, lying and even killing. You might ask how can someone taking a pen or stapler from work, walking out of an restaurant without paying, taking an extra newspaper from the news stand or taking a robe from the hotel lead to lying and evening killing? Well it happens a lot. Do you think if a person is asked where did they get that nice looking pen, they would tell you they stole it from work? Some may, but I don’t believe everyone would.
As we are walking in the mall an hour later after leaving the restaurant without paying, a waiter comes up to us, ask us did we pay for our meal surely we will say no and go back to pay for it. If we say yes, then we commit another sin; lying! We are at the grocery store; after paying for our groceries we notice that the cashier gave us back ten dollars too much in change, naturally everyone gives them back the extra change, right? If not, here is a sin that can now cost someone his or her job! Do we take the time out to think that the extra ten dollars we just received may cause someone his or her job, a job they need to support their family!
If we believe someone saw us stealing do we panic and run? If caught stealing do we fight to get away? Do we hurt the person or persons trying to turn us in for the sin we committed? Do we go all out and KILL them if it will help us to get away? You may say that I would never kill someone because I skipped out on paying for a meal. Well, we may not mean to kill anyone but in that minute of panic and uncertainty who knows what we will do, not to go to jail! As one of my church members said in bible study this week, a sin is a sin! Yes, I know we all fall short of the glory of God, but we must do our best to stay away from sin. Sin leads to more sin and sin is a separation from our Lord!
Mat. 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” As we are stealing do men see our light shining as to see our good works or do they see that we have given in to sin?
Can we miss going to heaven for just taking a pen from work, skipping out without paying for our meal, keeping that extra change from the cashier, taken an extra newspaper from the news stand, or leaving the hotel with that robe that doesn’t belong to us? Are we really willing to take that chance on missing heaven and spend eternity in HELL? Once we take that trip to Hell there is no second chance! Here is even a better question, is that pen really worth the trip?
You may be right, it’s just a pen and the company won’t miss it. Here is the thing; GOD won’t miss us taking that pen either! As we continue to take this journey with God, remember He will not assist us in any bad or evil things. If we want to get to heaven we must make sure we are traveling with the one that can get us there!
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