Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28)
To
steal is:
to
take or appropriate without right or leave and with intent to keep or make use
of wrongfully
to
take away by force or unjust means
to
take surreptitiously or without permission
to
appropriate to oneself or beyond one's proper share
to make
oneself the focus of
to
move, convey, or introduce secretly
to
accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner
to
seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring (Steal Definition &
Meaning - Merriam-Webster.)
Paul’s
next idea about starting over is to stop stealing, and we might be tempted to
say that because we’ve never robbed a bank or shoplifted, we haven’t
stolen. In this case, we have no need to
start over. But would that be honest?
When
we’re introduced to someone, do we try make a good (or bad) impression? Some
time ago, I realized that when I meet someone, I tend to put on what I call a
“freak show.” Part of me says that I’m just trying to be honest, but I suspect
that the truth is that I’m trying to take away any opportunity for the person
to see me other than as I direct. Often, the direction I choose is that I am a
strange person and they’d be better off not adding me to their roster of
friends.
Consider
the COVID restrictions. Supposedly, it was for everyone’s safety. Still, governors stole the right of businesses to make decisions about staying open, stole the
right of people to earn a living, and stole the right of individuals to make
decisions about wearing masks or getting vaccinated. Some people might say they
had the right, but does that mean it was right to take jobs from 39 million
people? We may justify what we do as “being for the common good” or even “being
for their own good,” but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t stealing.
Here's
a good one. Are you stealing life and health from yourself by eating unhealthfully? Using
substances that effectively poison you (nicotine, alcohol, other drugs,
food, pornography (including soft porn), vicarious violence, etc.?
One
more. Consider the material you see on social media about poor little _______
and how this person or that group is a champion on their behalf. And we might
even go so far as to say that the champion cares. But how many ego points or pats on the back – how much prestige does the champion get at
the cost of splashing the trials of the poor little _______ across social media?
Where does the attention go? To the need? Or to the champion?
It’s
probably wise to stop stealing by no longer stealing in an obvious
sense, like robbing banks, shoplifting, or mugging. But that’s not the end of
the matter. As God brings it to our attention, we need to stop stealing in
other ways, too. We’ll look at the second half of this verse tomorrow.
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