Scripture Reading: Exodus 20: 15, Ephesians 4:28
Key Verse: You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15).
Meditation: A number of years ago a picture on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post showed a nicely dressed woman buying a Thanksgiving turkey from a smiling butcher. As the turkey was being weighed on that old-fashioned scale, the artist captured something both comical and serious. While the eyes of both buyer and seller were focused on the sale their hands were elsewhere. His thumb was on the scale pressing it down and hers was under the scale pressing it upwards. Each one was unaware of the other's actions, but both were mutually guilty of breaking the eighth commandment.
The backside of this commandment is also a positive reminder that God approves personal ownership of property and desires for us to be industrious. The Hebrew people viewed possessions as a sign of God’s blessing and indirectly as an extension of themselves. Thus they had strict rules against theft and rather demanding guidelines to compensate the injured person up to and beyond the value of the loss. If a thief voluntarily confessed, he was still expected to add one-fifth beyond was taken plus bringing a trespass offering to the Lord. If he stole something he could not restore, he was expected to pay four-fold with "goods in kind.”
The Old Testament prophet Malachi lifts stealing out of the normal interpersonal context into our stewardship to God. The sin of Israel and of many current Christians today, is thinking our possessions to be our own with right of decision about their use.* We violate God’s law when we do not give God His portion, at least, the tithe.
Thought for the Day: God gives us all we possess to use as faithful stewards under His direction.
Again, if you enter the Sabbath rest, you will begin to understand that indeed all that appears to be in your possession is Jesus'. Allow Jesus to do the work of leading you. It is an interesting lifestyle. Just resting in Jesus will allow the money to flow to you. And you are then able to return a portion- a tithe which represents the whole.
It is not about sowing and reaping as I had thought previously. It is about resting in the green pastures (Psalm 23) and being planted like a tree (Psalm 1:3). Jesus has already done the sowing, thus I do not need too.
We had also struggled with our finances before I started to rest in Jesus. And now my husband is working within a good job and there are side jobs as well that are coming his way. He is also in good health so that he can work.
Key Verse: You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15).
Meditation: A number of years ago a picture on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post showed a nicely dressed woman buying a Thanksgiving turkey from a smiling butcher. As the turkey was being weighed on that old-fashioned scale, the artist captured something both comical and serious. While the eyes of both buyer and seller were focused on the sale their hands were elsewhere. His thumb was on the scale pressing it down and hers was under the scale pressing it upwards. Each one was unaware of the other's actions, but both were mutually guilty of breaking the eighth commandment.
| Luke 19:1-10 |
The backside of this commandment is also a positive reminder that God approves personal ownership of property and desires for us to be industrious. The Hebrew people viewed possessions as a sign of God’s blessing and indirectly as an extension of themselves. Thus they had strict rules against theft and rather demanding guidelines to compensate the injured person up to and beyond the value of the loss. If a thief voluntarily confessed, he was still expected to add one-fifth beyond was taken plus bringing a trespass offering to the Lord. If he stole something he could not restore, he was expected to pay four-fold with "goods in kind.”
The Old Testament prophet Malachi lifts stealing out of the normal interpersonal context into our stewardship to God. The sin of Israel and of many current Christians today, is thinking our possessions to be our own with right of decision about their use.* We violate God’s law when we do not give God His portion, at least, the tithe.
Thought for the Day: God gives us all we possess to use as faithful stewards under His direction.
Again, if you enter the Sabbath rest, you will begin to understand that indeed all that appears to be in your possession is Jesus'. Allow Jesus to do the work of leading you. It is an interesting lifestyle. Just resting in Jesus will allow the money to flow to you. And you are then able to return a portion- a tithe which represents the whole.
It is not about sowing and reaping as I had thought previously. It is about resting in the green pastures (Psalm 23) and being planted like a tree (Psalm 1:3). Jesus has already done the sowing, thus I do not need too.
We had also struggled with our finances before I started to rest in Jesus. And now my husband is working within a good job and there are side jobs as well that are coming his way. He is also in good health so that he can work.
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