ASK, DON'T TAKE
Memorise
Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.
Proverbs 28:24
Read
Matthew 7:7-12
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Message
It is common for people to rebrand a particular evil act by giving it a more tolerable name. They do this so that the full weight of that evil act is not felt by their conscience. However, rebranding prostitutes as commercial sex workers or calling sexually transmitted diseases "gentleman's disease" does not change them from being what they are before God. In the same vein, describing stealing as "taking" does not stop it from being an evil act. Anything you take without the permission of its rightful owner, especially with the intent of keeping it, is stealing, irrespective of who you took it from. If you take something with the consent of the owner under a mutual understanding not to return it, you can call it a gift.
If there is a mutual agreement that the item is to be returned, that is borrowing. Do you know that many items have moved from being borrowed to being stolen, because the one who borrowed the item has failed to return it? If you have treated any item like that, you are a thief. Return the item to its owner today.
It's a pity that some people do not know the difference between gifts and borrowed items on the one hand and stolen items on the other hand. One area where people commonly flout such rules is in family relationships. Some children take it for granted that because something belongs to their parents, they are free to take it without their permission. Also, spouses take advantage of each other in this area. The wife may say since the money belongs to her husband, and what is his is also hers, she can take his things whenever she likes without his consent and without feeling guilty. If you have not deliberately discussed this and jointly agreed that it should be so, your action can amount to stealing.
God expects you to live with a sense of accountability, responsibility and honesty. The reason some people steal from their spouses, parents or children is because they know that if they ask for the item, their request would be turned down. If you want something that belongs to your spouse or family member, simply ask. If the fellow turns down the request, pray to God to touch his or her heart, then go and ask again and again. Never take something unless you have the approval of the owner to do so. Otherwise, you are a thief, and no thief will enter Heaven.
Action Point
Cultivate the habit of seeking permission before taking or using whatever belongs to others.
Bible in one year
Esther 1-3;
John 8:48-9:12
John 8:48-9:12
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