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[Announcer] (0:01 - 0:19) Think about the Bible like you never have before. You're listening to Christian Questions. Access more audio, videos, and Bible study resources at ChristianQuestions.com.

Our topic is: "Do We Ever Steal Without Realizing It?" Part VIII of our Ten Commandments Series. Here's Rick and Jonathan.

[Rick] (0:22 - 0:29) Welcome everyone, I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over twenty-five years. Jonathan, what's our theme scripture for this episode?

[Jonathan] (0:30 - 0:34) Exodus 20:15: "You shall not steal."

[Rick] (0:34 - 1:33) Straightforward. We're now ready to consider the Eighth Commandment in our Ten Commandments series.

Through the first seven, we have seen that honoring God from our hearts and with our actions is our foundation. The Sabbath was created to remind us of this sacred responsibility. We're then taught to honor our parents as the basis for all of our human interactions.

Next were the clear commands to not murder and not commit adultery, and we found that Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount seriously elevated the responsibilities of these specific commands. As we begin to examine the next Commandment, "You shall not steal," it becomes very evident very quickly that these four words are not some simple form of general guidance. On the contrary, they truly teach us the fundamentals of civility and respect.

As usual, Jesus will take this lesson and elevate it even further for his followers.

[Jonathan] (1:33 - 1:57) The Eighth Commandment is a foundational "external instruction" put in place to clearly establish and recognize the personal rights of those around us in our community. Again, Exodus 20:15: "You shall not steal." The word "steal" means "to thieve (literally or figuratively); by implication, to deceive."

[Rick] (1:58 - 2:28) This word "steal" has a VERY broad meaning and it's explained in several other scriptures in the Old Testament. What we want to do is, we want to go through several of these "you shall not steal" examples in the Old Testament because it shows us the concept of stealing applied to all kinds of different aspects of life. As we go through these, notice the differences of the circumstance, the differences of the consequence, because it all helps us to put this all in order.

Jonathan, let's go with our first piece, our first example.

[Jonathan] (2:29 - 2:49) "You shall not steal" applies to the lives of our fellow man. Each has a right to live according to the Law. Exodus 21:16: "He who kidnaps a man... shall surely be put to death."

The word for "kidnap" is the same word as "steal." It has to do with the lives of our fellow man.

[Rick] (2:49 - 3:29) You have you shall not kidnap and that's punishable by death. You don't get a bigger punishment than that, and of course there's no bigger stealing than the stealing of another human being. You've got this in the very next chapter of Exodus as a basis to say, "pay attention to this" because, like you said, that word for "kidnap" is the word for "steal."

The next one, "You shall not steal," it applies to how we treat others within the context of the general business of life. Jonathan, here simple honesty should prevail. Simple respect should be in place.

Let's look at the Scriptures. Leviticus 19:11, 13:

[Jonathan] (3:30 - 3:54) "You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. You shall not oppress (or defraud or violate) your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning."

It comes down to mutual respect to those in our lives. The word for "rob" here means "to pluck off" or "strip."

[Rick] (3:54 - 4:25) You don't steal--that same old word that we were talking about. There's no defrauding, there's no taking, just plucking things off of somebody almost like a pickpocket kind of thing. On whatever level, you just don't do that.

You don't take advantage of someone in any way. It's interesting that the next sentence is the wages of a hired man. You need to pay them the day they do the work because you don't take advantage.

That's the message here. You don't take advantage of your fellow man. We've got these first two examples. Let's go to the next one.

[Jonathan] (4:26 - 4:54) Okay, and that is, "You shall not steal" applies to the specifics of buying, selling, and trading. Be precise.

Have integrity. Leviticus 19:35-36: "You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measure of weight, or capacity.

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt." Now Rick, this tests our standard of righteousness.

[Rick] (4:54 - 5:27) It really, really does. The idea, the measure of weight or capacity, in other words, if you are in a position of selling and trading, be precise. Don't make things shade toward your benefit.

That's stealing. That's out and out stealing. It's interesting that in verse 36 it says, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt."

The message is, don't even bend the Law, bend the rules a little bit, because I, the LORD your God, gave you freedom. God is basically saying, You owe Me your allegiance.

[Jonathan] (5:27 - 5:29) That's powerful, brother. That's powerful.

[Rick] (5:30 - 5:50) To live up to the power and strength of my Law, do not cheat one another in any way, shape, or form. The next one; "You shall not steal" applies to many general experiences of taking what's not yours.

Again in Leviticus 6:1-3, 5:

[Jonathan] (5:51 - 6:34) "Then the LORD spoke to Moses saying, When a person sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD, and deceives his companion in regard to a deposit or a security entrusted to him, or through robbery (or plunder), or if he has extorted from his companion, or if he has found what was lost and lied about it and sworn falsely, so that he sins...(he must return what he stole) and...he shall make restitution for it in full and add to it one-fifth more. He shall give it to the one to whom it belongs..." Wow!

What causes this behavior? Selfish motives that lead to dishonesty.

[Rick] (6:34 - 7:21) It puts all these different circumstances in place so things are not left to the imagination. Well, it didn't say this. No, it did say that.

If you find something, you have to be honest about the fact that you found it. No, I don't. I didn't see it.

None of that. Nothing that could be convenient, nothing that could be contrived to be against the standards of Lord God who brought you out from the land of Egypt. You can see that this "You shall not steal" has a lot to offer in terms of applying to every aspect of life.

It's interesting that restoration of what was stolen plus twenty percent was part of the Law here. But you know what? That wasn't all.

You now have to make it right before God. Now let's go to Leviticus 6:6-7:

[Jonathan] (7:22 - 7:41) "Then he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without defect from the flock...for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him..." Not only was this a sin against a person, but it was also a sin against God.

[Rick] (7:41 - 8:23) He has to put a guilt offering out to say before God, I am guilty because I have violated Your command. You have to restore plus twenty percent, plus this guilt offering. The one guilty of stealing was not only to fully replace what was taken and then some, he was to give of the best of his own flock.

It couldn't be just any ram, it had to be one without defect. The best of his own flock, and he had to give it to God as a sacrifice to show his own repentance. This is an example about all of these different kinds of things happening, and making sure you put it in position to say, and I am guilty before God.

[Jonathan] (8:23 - 8:28) Giving of your best really costs you. You really feel it, don't you?

[Rick] (8:28 - 8:45) Yeah, and that's the important thing. It was made so you would feel it. It wasn't just, uh-uh-uh, don't do that again.

It was feel the pain of the transgression. That was the point. All right, let's go on.

There's a few more of these "You shall not steals" in the Old Testament. What's the next one?

[Jonathan] (8:46 - 10:04) "You shall not steal": To steal from a family's livelihood and profit from it brought a much higher penalty than anything but kidnapping! God's Law was built to protect families and communities.

Exodus 22:1, 4: "If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double."

This reminds me of when the Prophet Nathan was sent to King David in 2 Samuel 12:5-6, and Nathan told him a story about a rich man who stole the only ewe lamb from a poor man. David was so upset at what the rich man did to the poor man's family that he said, "Surely the man who has done this deserves to die." Then David said this, "And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold."

Then Nathan said these cutting words; David, "YOU are the man!" He said this because David stole Uriah's wife Bathsheba and had him killed in battle.

[Rick] (10:05 - 11:00) It's interesting that David responds to Nathan's story and with righteous indignation, and he goes exactly to the Law. He should restore that sheep fourfold because that's what the Law said. Then Nathan basically says, "You are the man," and you've done much worse.

You've done much worse. It just shows you the depth of taking from another's ability to support themselves. You just don't do that.

So, "You shall not steal" isn't just about little things. It's about all kinds of different areas of life, and this particular area is that sense of taking those things that others are dependent upon. One more example, "You shall not steal":

Negligence. This is interesting. Negligence that results in another's losses is stealing, and the bottom line is, where is my integrity if I am being negligent in this way?

Let's look at Exodus 22:5:

[Jonathan] (11:00 - 11:15) "If a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard."

[Rick] (11:15 - 11:58) If I'm lazy and I'm not keeping up my own fields and my animals eat all of what's in my pasture and I let them out, it's okay, go to Jonathan's pasture, it's just a little bit. There's a law against that. I am being negligent, and I need to take the best of what I have to give it to you to make up for it.

The concept of "You shall not steal" in the Old Testament covers a wide variety of our lives, from little things to very big things, and all of it in the context of, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt." You owe me your loyalty to hold my Law to its sacred standard. Jonathan, The Sacred Value of Honesty:

[Jonathan] (11:59 - 12:26) To steal is to disrespect. The Law teaches us to stand against this and to respect others' positions, their business dealings with you, their possessions, and their livelihood. Integrity is to be a driving force in our dealing with all, and anything less can amount to some form of stealing.

God expected His people to treat each other as the chosen people of God.

[Rick] (12:26 - 13:20) "I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt." You are the chosen ones. It's my responsibility to treat you all as God's chosen.

I can't bend His Laws for my benefit. Just can't do it. "You shall not steal."

That gives us an overview of the Old Testament, and now we want to take a look at the New Testament. Now we want to grasp what Jesus taught about stealing, and in order to do that, we need to look at his broader perspective regarding our own interactions, as well as his approach to this Eighth Commandment. There's two pieces to this;

the broader perspective, and then what does he say specifically about stealing. First let's go into that broader perspective. After explaining a parable about what defiles a man, here's what Jesus said.

Pay close attention to his words. Matthew 15:19-20:

[Jonathan] (13:21 - 13:39) "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

[Rick] (13:39 - 15:00) Jesus' broad perspective is, "out of the heart" comes the "evil thoughts," and then "murders, adulteries, fornication," all of these things. He's saying those are wrong actions, but where do they start? In your heart.

That's the broad perspective of Jesus putting everything in order, and for the Christian who is following in his footsteps, we need to pay close attention because he's telling us exactly how, not only what he taught, but he's telling us how he acted. He's telling us what's happening in your heart. Here's the difference.

The Old Testament Law was all about the "what" of right and wrong. Do this, don't do that. Do this, don't do that.

Don't murder, don't steal, don't lie, don't covet, don't commit adultery, all of those things. Jesus' teaching brings us to the "why" of the right and wrong. It always begins with the corruption of our sinful hearts.

We need to understand that it's not a matter of do and don't, it's a matter of what's stirring in my heart, and what is that stirring, what seed has been planted that is going to produce some fruitage that might not be profitable, and in this case, be absolutely wretchedly wrong. When we look at this, it's no surprise that Jesus is going to make "You shall not steal" into an "internal," as well as an "external instruction" for his followers.

[Jonathan] (15:00 - 15:31) Now let's look at how Jesus sums up the entire Law. Matthew 22:35-40: "One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him, Teacher, which is the great Commandment in the Law?

And he said to him, YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost Commandment. The second is like it,

YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. On these two Commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

[Rick] (15:31 - 16:40) You have Jesus taking the challenge of the test, okay? One of these lawyers is saying, okay, let me see if I can get him on this. Which is the greatest Commandment?

Let's see what you say. What Jesus answers is, essentially, loving God and loving your neighbor all together, all put in place. This is what sums up the whole Law;

these two Commandments. How do you love God? How do you love your neighbor?

It's inside out. It's inside out. That's what he's saying.

You need to BE the fulfillment of the Law, not DO the fulfillment of the Law. That's the importance of following in his footsteps. Now look, because Jesus came to fulfill the Law, his teaching here is vital.

He's saying that the primary purpose of the Law as a whole is to first honor God. We know that the first three Commandments are very, very specific. And secondarily, to thoroughly respect those around us.

These two halves, loving God with our whole heart, and then loving and respecting those around us, these two halves cannot be separated without degrading the meaning of the whole. You can't have the whole if you degrade the meaning of either half. That's how powerful Jesus is making all of this.

[Jonathan] (16:40 - 16:48) Well, think about it. Stealing takes place because of what we want, what we perceive to need, or what we actually need.

[Rick] (16:49 - 17:32) That's important. Sometimes there's a need, and there's a temptation because of the need. Certainly that's an understandable circumstance.

There's no question about that. Let's take a look though at a dramatic example of stealing to satisfy a want. What does that look like?

Now we're going into some New Testament scriptures, and this scripture is written by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians. It's for those who take because they've grown accustomed to taking what was not theirs. Now remember, the Corinthian church came from a very pagan background, and they had to be re-taught many, many, many things in terms of putting themselves into a Christlike character.

We're dropping into the middle of a teaching in 1 Corinthians 6:10-11:

[Jonathan] (17:32 - 18:02) "...nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers (which means extortioner or robber), will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God."

Now, we see in the Greek-English Lexicon that the word "thief" refers to "an embezzler."

[Rick] (18:02 - 18:28) You've got this idea of this embezzling, and then you have the idea of swindler, which is really extortion. Different levels of things going on, and Paul is saying none of it is acceptable. The bottom line here is we have to understand that if you're following Jesus, we have to be on a higher level than we ever were.

Jonathan, we've always said, how many times since we've been doing Christian Questions: "Come as you are...

[Jonathan] (18:28 - 18:29) but don't stay as you are."

[Rick] (18:29 - 18:43) Exactly. You come as you are, you lay it all before God, and you don't stay where you've been.

Now we walk in accordance with the footsteps of Jesus. He showed us how to live. What's the Integrity Lesson here?

[Jonathan] (18:43 - 18:54) Heaven is closed to thieves. It's one thing to have been a thief, and it is an entirely different thing to continue being one after knowing Christ.

[Rick] (18:54 - 19:32) Come as you are, and then leave it behind. Don't stay as you are, because the door to heaven is closed to thieves. There's just that sense of we have to be different to be acceptable before God.

Just as the Law, the Jewish Law, elevated the people to that physical standard, we are elevated to a spiritual standard by following in Jesus' footsteps. Let's look at this now, and let's start to ask the questions that we need to ask ourselves-- mirror questions.

Look in the mirror, and I got to ask myself, do I ever take that which I have no right to take, even if I feel like, "Well, you know what, I'll put it back later?" Do I ever, ever, ever do that?

[Jonathan] (19:32 - 19:35) We have to inspect our hearts, don't we, with that question.

[Rick] (19:35 - 19:35) Yes, yes.

[Jonathan] (19:35 - 20:07) Let's look at a few modern examples. This is a huge new issue! Some shoppers are now committing "friendly fraud," is what they call it, by buying items and then disputing the charge instead of returning them.

This practice lets people keep merchandise for free while credit card companies unknowingly enable the theft. Businesses are hit hard, lose the product and the payment, and pay penalty fees on top of it.

[Rick] (20:07 - 20:37) I can't even fathom that. There's got to be in the minds of people some kind of justification that I deserve this. Now, I don't know where that comes from, but it certainly isn't right, it isn't just, it isn't proper. If you're a Christian and you've walked down that road, folks, think about this, think about this, because we're not just stealing from that merchant and that credit card company, we're stealing from God our Father. I mean, man, what a dramatic example. Any others?

[Jonathan] (20:37 - 20:55) Yeah, another big one is self-checkout. Not scanning items, scanning cheaper items instead, or "accidentally" mis-weighing products.

This is becoming such an issue that some stores are reverting to cashiers and closing self-checkouts.

[Rick] (20:55 - 21:22) Again, the self-checkout is a very efficient way to do things, but it's based on a very simple principle--personal human integrity. That's the principle, and what you're saying is that just doesn't exist well enough, and in some places, they can't do it because it costs too much, because I can't scan the things that I'm there to buy. I mean, okay, another example. You're getting me frustrated, just so you know.

[Jonathan] (21:22 - 21:33) Lastly, digital theft. This is sharing paid streaming logins, downloading movies or music illegally, or using software without a license.

[Rick] (21:34 - 22:16) If I can get away with it, why not? That's really what it's boiling down to here. If I can get away with it, why not?

The answer for us, Jonathan, is because it's wrong. It's really that simple. Well, if I can get away with it, why not?

Because it's wrong. It violates God's standards. Yeah, but... If you follow in Jesus' footsteps, you don't walk that direction.

We've just got to take ourselves out of that picture entirely. Let's look at another New Testament perspective on stealing here. Let's move on--

for those who take because they see themselves as "privileged" or "spiritually superior." Now this is big, and this is important, and in the world of Christianity, we need to pay close attention. Matthew 21:12-13:

[Jonathan] (22:16 - 22:58) "And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves." Rick, this is a case where the merchant is cheating the consumer. Two things are going on here:

1. The merchants were price gouging because the pilgrims had no other place to buy their animals for sacrifice. 2. The money changers were using false weights to extort the people. Now why don't we continue in verse 13:

"And he said to them, It is written, MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER; but you are making it a ROBBERS DEN."

[Rick] (22:59 - 23:39) You can just see why by what you just explained before that. It's interesting here, Jonathan, because Jesus is quoting two different verses. The first portion, "my house shall be called a house of prayer" he's quoting from Isaiah 56:7.

That is where God is telling Isaiah that even those who are not natural Jews, but hold the Jewish faith in great sincerity, would be deeply blessed in God's sacred house of prayer. From wherever they came from, whatever their background, if they were in sincerity following the Jewish faith, they would be sacredly blessed in His house of prayer. What was happening?

They had polluted that sacredness. What's the Integrity Lesson there?

[Jonathan] (23:40 - 23:44) Well all are welcome to this sacred place and keep it sacred!

[Rick] (23:45 - 24:34) That was the point. Keep it sacred. We have the power to pollute or the power to elevate the sacredness,

and Jesus is calling it out. Now the next verse he quotes from is Jeremiah 7:11, where he talks about "a robber's den." This is where God is telling Judah to stand for His righteousness, God's righteousness, not their own deceptive words and their pagan practices, and then hypocritically come to God's house to worship.

He's saying you can't do that. You can't live one way and come in and worship Me. I will not accept that.

It was called "a robber's den" in that experience. Jesus is taking two very significant Old Testament events and saying you're doing both of these things. I mean think about the importance of such a lesson.

The Integrity Lesson for this second portion:

[Jonathan] (24:35 - 24:46) You (the religious leaders of Jesus' day) are robbing the people by way of false pretenses. Robbing the people this way is stealing from God as well.

[Rick] (24:46 - 25:22) That's the thing we have to remember. One of the great lessons in Scripture is if we steal, even in a small way, we are stealing from our Heavenly Father. We are stealing from Jesus because we are taking our commitment to be Christlike, and we are polluting it, and we're stealing his reputation by doing such a thing.

Think about this. We need to pay close, close, close attention to those who exploit followers of Christ. Now we're working within the context of "Christianity" because those who exploit followers of Christ steal from others and from God.

Let's look at Titus 1:10-11:

[Jonathan] (25:23 - 25:59) "For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain." This makes me think of churches pressuring families to tithe beyond their means. Tithing is not a New Testament requirement;

it was a Jewish requirement to support those serving in the Tabernacle who did not receive an inheritance in the land. By the way, it was never money that was given to support the priesthood.

[Rick] (26:00 - 26:38) The damage that did or does is incalculable. I remember a sister, she's passed away, but she was meeting with us. She had been in one of those churches, and she was a woman who had almost nothing, and she starved through giving that ten percent and was promised all kinds of things. When she came and found the truth of the matter, she was overjoyed at the simplicity of true giving. There's a difference between having a biblical basis--you take a biblical word and apply it--and following biblical truth.

Those who do things for gain have a biblical basis but they are not following biblical truth. Integrity Lesson:

[Jonathan] (26:39 - 26:51) When biblical truth is neglected, the temptation may arise to take what is not ours. Let us deeply consider our "why" before we allow ourselves to engage in a sinful "what."

[Rick] (26:52 - 27:14) Let's look at the mirror question that comes with this. Have I ever stolen by way of neglect in any part of my personal, spiritual, or business life? Have I neglected things that should not have been neglected so that I could do or get what I want?

If we do that, there is an element of stealing going on there. Any examples?

[Jonathan] (27:14 - 27:41) This one just happened yesterday. My wife was recently at the grocery store to pick up a few things.

She put one item in the cart and the other items in the top section by the handle. After paying and heading to the car, she noticed the one item at the bottom was never taken out of the cart. She went back to customer service to explain and pay for it.

She thought it was odd they didn't say anything or thank her for coming back to make it right, but she did the right thing.

[Rick] (27:42 - 28:54) That's the point. Do the right thing. Back when I was maybe twelve years old, we used to drive to our Sunday meeting and we would stop at the store because my grandfather used to like to read the New York Daily News, and I would be the one to run in, get the newspaper, run back to the car, then we'd go drive to the meeting. It was twenty-five cents.

This one Sunday, I ran in and I grabbed the paper and I paid for it and I ran out. We got in the car, we're driving, and I noticed that I had two papers instead of one because I had folded it when I took it and it's like, oh, what do I do? I asked my dad, what do I do?

He said, don't worry. He said, next week, you just give them, you pay them twice. The next week, and you know, I'm feeling embarrassed because I shouldn't have done it, but next week, I remember walking into the store, picking up one paper and giving the guy fifty cents instead of twenty-five.

He looked at me, said, I made a mistake and took two papers last week. I'm so sorry. I walked out and because my dad said, kept saying, don't worry, don't worry, gave me the courage to actually do it.

But walking out, that felt good to actually follow through. I had to have that guidance to help me stand up for that embarrassment. It was a mistake, but again, trying to do the right thing.

Look, for all of us, it's time to take a stand, even regarding the little things that don't seem to be that bad. We need to apply discipline. Let's look at Ephesians 4:27-28:

[Jonathan] (28:54 - 28:57) "...and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." Instead of being a stealer of others, be a steward for others.

[Rick] (29:15 - 29:24) That's a great way to look at it. Be a steward for others, take care of others. Don't take from, take care of. That's the point. Again, there has to be an Integrity Lesson right here.

[Jonathan] (29:24 - 29:26) How persistently do we go to any length to legitimately take care of ourselves? Even if I am in a tough spot now, is my objective to work through it and to help others as I go?

[Rick] (29:41 - 30:18) It's a great Integrity Lesson relating to that scripture because it says, "he who steals must steal no longer," but go to work so you can take care of yourself, and so you will have something to give to others.

Turn the tables...come as you are, don't stay as you are. Become Christlike, turn the tables, and be focused on giving, not taking. The mirror question here, I'm looking in the mirror and asking myself, "Am I focused on my own wants and needs?" Let's think about that.

Or am I focused on what I can do to help others with their needs, even at my own expense, and maybe even when things aren't going that well for myself?

[Jonathan] (30:19 - 30:19) Powerful.

[Rick] (30:19 - 30:32) We need to have that sense of selflessness. Like you said, being a steward for others. "Thou shalt not steal."

We just want to stand up for the standards that are given to us.

[Jonathan] (30:33 - 30:47) We do need to make a paradigm shift from selfishness to personal responsibility. That's what that verse brought out, which leads--you're right--to selflessness. This brings to mind the story of the widow's mite in Luke 21:1-4.

[Rick] (30:48 - 31:07) The widow's mite-- she had almost nothing, and she gave the little nothing that she had. Jesus' response was, she is focused on truly supporting godliness. She will be blessed.

What a beautiful, small, but powerful example of the way our hearts and minds should be working.

[Jonathan] (31:07 - 31:38) One last modern-day example; time theft at work. Taking long breaks, doing personal things on company time, or the latest thing called "quiet quitting" while still collecting full pay.

That's when employees do only the bare minimum they need to do to keep their job, never going above and beyond. As Christians, it's our responsibility to do all things as unto the Lord, as it says in Colossians 3:23.

[Rick] (31:38 - 31:59) "Quiet quitting" is not for Christians. We need to stand up and put our effort in, even if we're not happy with the job or the employer or whatever it is, because we do those things as unto Christ. That's the important thing. For us, it would be stealing to do the bare minimum when we have the capacity to do so much more.

That's the thing we have to look at as Christians.

[Jonathan] (31:59 - 32:22) If anyone feels shame or guilt after thinking about past mistakes, and yeah, I'm thinking about them, brother, because I'm learning a lot here. I know I haven't been perfect along these lines, but we need to remember how wrong stealing is so we can overcome in the little things of life. I really need to focus on the little things to make sure I'm not bending the rules.

[Rick] (32:22 - 32:54) Yes, and you're right, focusing on the little things and just asking ourselves, you know what, can I do this better? Can I do this in a more Christlike way? If Jesus was sitting right next to me looking over my shoulder, can I do it the way I would do it in that circumstance?

That's a good example. How strongly can we rise to a level of Christian character that's not seemingly always needing to make up for its lack. Like you're saying, we're trying and struggling, and instead is simply loving our brotherhood. Instead of focusing on the lack, let's focus on the love.

Not only our brotherhood, but for that matter, the love for all people. Last Scripture, Jonathan, Romans 13:8-9:

[Jonathan] (32:55 - 32:58) "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET, and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

[Rick] (33:17 - 33:27) The concept is repeating what Jesus had told them, the Apostles. "Love your neighbor as yourself." This is how the whole Law is summed up. What's that final Integrity Lesson before we wrap this up?

[Jonathan] (33:27 - 33:44) Loving our brother means helping them in their needs in appropriate ways. Loving them also means receiving their help in our needs. It's a two-way street. We should be stewards of one another.

[Rick] (33:45 - 34:09) Yes, yes, and that two-way street is such an important thing. Folks, the main issue is, "You shall not steal." And it's just not that simple;

you shall live in a sense and in a way of standing up for a high level of giving and integrity and spirituality. Be working on developing a sacred character that reflects God through Christ. Finally, Jonathan, The Sacred Value of Honesty:

[Jonathan] (34:09 - 34:37) To steal is to disrespect. The application of the Eighth Commandment made it clear how widespread the consequences of stealing were regarding our social environment. Jesus deepened the lesson to begin in the heart and alert us to be aware of the subtlety of thought, especially when we have a need or desire.

Let us live as Jesus did. He always put the highest eternal welfare of everyone first.

[Rick] (34:37 - 35:20) As we put this in order and we wrap this up, we look at the previous Commandments and we see loving God comes first. The Sabbath is in the position of beginning this rest and reflection. Loving and respecting our parents helps us with our human family relationships.

Then don't commit adultery, don't steal. To put these things in perspective is to say, I am putting God through Christ first in every aspect of my life, every day. We have a choice.

We must live in a Christlike way. Let us not steal. Think about it.

Coming up in our next episode: "What Does It Really Mean to Bear False Witness?" Part IV

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