Strawberry Swipecake

Isn't it kind of funny that we hit the Eighth Commandment this week, being so close to the National Day of Mourning, also known as Tax Day. The Eight Commandment forbids stealing. Whom is stealing from whom is a matter of opinion during this fun tax season. Regardless, I would like to examine this Commandment briefly so as not to steal too much of your time.
Have you ever stole anything, regardless of value? I have never shoplifted or committed grand theft auto. Does that make me exempt from thievery? Hardly. Allow me to count the ways...and see if you relate to any of these for yourself.
I ate nearly one thousand times the body weight of a pregnant yak of ripe strawberries from the commercial strawberry field across the street from my house in the early teen years of my life. Proverbs 9:17 (Revised Mark's Childhood Version) says “Stolen strawberries (NASB says “water is”)are sweet; shortcake (NASB says “food”) eaten in secret is delicious.” We, with the owner's knowledge, swiped enough berries to feed an African nation. Guilty!
I have goofed off for countless hours at jobs I have had over the years...all of which are stealing payroll from my employer. Colossians 3:23a says “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men...”. Guilty!
I, with a partner in crime, stole the goldfish out of the 10th hole water hazard at Putt Putt golf on Prom Night 1989.

I have stolen from God by not tithing for a large part of the early days of my Christian walk. Read Acts 5 for the story of a married couple's experience with stealing from God. Seriously guilty!!
We take approximately 24000 breaths of air each day, each comprising approximately 3000 gallons of air. In a 78 year life I will have swiped 85,410,000 gallons of air. Deut. 10:14 among other places, states that everything, including my stolen air, belongs to God... I haven't even said thanks for it! Exponentially guilty!
These are a few examples, some serious, some not so much, of my lifelong relationship to the sin of stealing. I strongly believe that nearly everyone, if honest, would recognize that they have stolen something in their life. Add this one to the previous two Commandments I am guilty of breaking from the last two weeks' column, and I am typical. Does God care? Yes. Does He forgive? Depends...have you repented of lifelong patterns? Are you sorry? Have you asked for forgiveness? If these are answered correctly, I believe God not only can but will forgive this and every other sin in our lives.
I would like to also address one other aspect of stealing this week. This is sure to make some grab stones to throw at me. Nearly every mainstream world religion, and some branches of Christianity as well as many a cult, requires some “work” of ours to go to Heaven when we die. Many well-meaning people believe we must clean up our lives and do more good than bad to go to heaven. We are weighed on a cosmic “good verses bad” scale and which ever side the arrow points is where we go. Like on the classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the geese that lay the golden eggs put their egg on a egg checker which determines whether they are good or bad, we are weighed as good or bad . Good eggs go to heaven, bad ones hell. This, my friends, is stealing glory from Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) says “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” If you did anything to supplement the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, dying as a substitute punishment for the sins you have committed, you steal the credit from Christ. What kind of monster of a God would send His Son to die for you as one possible means of your salvation, to go with other potential ways? No, it took a perfect sacrifice, and He gave it. How dare we try to steal the Glory from the only one deserving! Pray honestly today... “What is my part of my salvation?”. If you answer anything more than “I submitted myself to a Holy God as an unworthy sinner”, examine yourself. Was Jesus' painful death on the cross enough? Did He need my help?
The reason I love to look at the Commandments, and will be working through them for the next month and a half, is that they make for a beautiful list of self-reflecting thoughts to consider. We aren't saved because of our skill in keeping them, that's for sure. Call out to God today, and ask for forgiveness and let Him be Boss. If you have questions, email me. I will be praying for you as always! I don't want your money, I just want to see you in heaven someday!
Weight Update...262. I lost 3.4 this week for a total loss of 74 lbs. Only 76 to go. Thanks for your prayers! God is so patient and good!
Memory Verse: 1 Peter 1:14-6.