Day 21

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.” —1 CHRONICLES 29:11

Clearly implied in the eighth commandment, ‘you shall not steal’, is the right of individual possession. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the general assembly of the United Nations in 1948, states, “Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others and no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his or her property.”

There are three ways in which property, including belongings, can be possessed: by earning it, receiving it as a gift, or by theft. Scripture implicitly recognizes the right of ownership through work and giving, but expressly forbids the third option – theft. In the early church at Ephesus, many were still caught up in their sinful nature, which Paul addresses, and of theft, he says, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” (Ephesians 4:28). In this statement, Paul offers two ways to counteract theft; first, by working hard, earning what you have with your own hands, and secondly, accumulating enough so that you may share what you have with those in need.

The Bible tells us all that exists belongs to God. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). King David acknowledged many who had donated generously, as he had done, to the building of the Holy Temple, and when dedicating the site, before the entire assembly of Israel’s hierarchy, he gave the glory to God. In prayer, he said, “Everything we have comes from you. And we have only given you what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14).

We need to recognize that all we have is ours on trust from God. God graciously gives us the right to possession, but it is a privilege not to be abused. Accumulating wealth for personal gain only, and hoarding what God has given to us is sin. Scripture tells us where a man’s heart is, there will his treasure be also and, one of the ways we build our treasure in heaven is by sharing what God has given us on earth.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, It is from You all blessings flow and You have given me the privilege of being a steward of the many blessings I have received from You. Keep the door of my heart open to sharing as much as I can with those in need. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: Do I glorify God, and thank Him for even the trivial things He has blessed me with? Am I sharing what I have with others?