“You shall not steal.”
Exodus 20:15
There’s a story about a thief who was serving time in prison. Stealing had become his lifestyle, and eventually the long arm of the law caught up with him. But while he was in prison, he heard the good news of Jesus Christ and was wonderfully converted.
When the day came for his release, he knew he was in for a difficult time. Most of his friends were criminals, and it wouldn’t be easy to break old patterns. So on the first Sunday of his new freedom, he slipped into a church building and sat in the back.
Up front he saw the words of the Ten Commandments inscribed on two plaques, and his eyes were drawn to these words: “You shall not steal.” That’s the last thing that I need, he thought to himself. I know my weakness. I know my failure, and I know the battle I’m going to have.
But as he kept looking at the plaque, the words seemed to take on a new meaning. He had always read these words in the tone of a command: “You shall not steal!” But now it seemed God was speaking these words to him as a promise: “You shall not steal.”
He was a new person in Christ, and God was promising that the Holy Spirit would make it possible for him to overcome the habit of stealing: “You shall not steal, and the reason is that I’ve put my Spirit in you, and I’ll move you to follow my decrees and to keep my laws” (see Ezek. 36:27). The Christian life is a struggle, but the Holy Spirit is with you for the climb.
What tone do you hear in God’s commands?Why do you think that is?
