“Thou shalt not steal!” –Exodus 20:15
Bob Deffinbaugh wrote about stealing on the site Bible.org. I would encourage you to go and read his entire article, but here is just a little snippet that was profound and convicting to me about a major source of theft in our society:
“Stealing is a subject well worth our attention for several reasons. First, stealing has become a national problem of epidemic proportions. For example, consider the impact of “time theft” on our economy:
The Robert Half Personnel Agencies has calculated that time-theft will cost the American economy as much as $70 billion a year. Time-theft is defined as those deliberate employee actions which result in the massive, growing misuse and waste of time. Estimated time-theft are: arriving to work late, leaving early, taking unjustified ‘sick’ days, extensive socializing with co-workers, turning the water cooler into a conversation pit, inattention to the job at hand, reading novels and magazines on the job, operating a business on the side during working hours, eating lunch at the desk and then going out for the ‘lunch hour,’ excessive personal phone calls, on-the-job daydreaming and fanticizing, long, frequent coffee and snack breaks, etc.“
Are you involved in “time theft” ?
I received an e-mail tonight from one of my members and in that e-mail it prompted some questions about the phrase, “I am not convicted yet…” in my mind. Would you please discuss and let me know what you think about my following thoughts:
I hear people say a lot, “I haven’t been convicted on that yet.” Or “God hasn’t convicted me.” Most the time we as Christians accept these statements as a legitimite position for an individual to hold, but I wonder have we taken these positions to far? I know in scripture there are a few texts when Paul talks about being “convinced,” and this is a synonym to conviction. But is there ever a story in scripture where someone is clearly presented truth and they say, “yes I see that, but I am not convicted.” ? It seems in scripture when folk are confronted with truth, they either reject it or accept it, the area of gray seems to be minimal compared to what we accept now. And also our acceptance of this answer in regards to conviction seems to be based more on certain areas rather than a universal position of all of scripture. An example: When it comes to the Sabbath, if we teach someone that 7th day is the Sabbath and we show them from scripture this truth. Now if the person responded, “I see where you are coming from, but I am not convicted on this yet.” Most of us…at least I know I have…would say, “That is okay God will convict you in your own time.” If we were presenting to the exact same person and we showed them from scripture that adultery is wrong, if said person responded by saying, “I can see where you are coming from, but God hasn’t convicted me on that yet” I believe we would be much less likely to accept that position, and we would begin to think that the person was just making an excuse for sin. It is the same with “tithe” if people don’t feel “convicted” to tithe we say, “ok.” But if they don’t feel convicted to “love their neighbor” we wouldn’t accept that position.
If truth is truth. When it is presented and understood. Should our conviction even be an issue? It is in scripture. Period! Wouldn’t this nullify a lot of those, “I’m not convicted” statements and wouldn’t this force us as Christians to be more real with ourselves and with God and more honest and just admit, it isn’t about conviction, it is about my unwillingness to follow truth?
Am I making any sense? Am I off base in what I am saying? Have we gone to far with the idea of “conviction” and what subjects of the Bible this can or cannot be used for?
Please share?
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” –Exodus 20:12
I was just thinking about this text last night. My Dad and I went to an individuals house to give a Bible Study, which is really awesome that I get that experience with my Dad. After the study we sat in my driveway for about an hour just talking. I came inside and this text popped into my head, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long…” I didn’t think about it because I had been disrespectful or dishonoring to him. I realized my dad is a lot smarter than me, not intellectually though probably that too, but experientially. That text popped into my head and I felt God impressing upon my heart to listen to honor my Dad’s counsel because his wisdom would help me avoid some pitfalls in life, thus reducing my stress, and thus hopefully I will live longer as a result. Suddenly I realized honoring is not just about being kind and respectful. It is more than just being obedient while a child. It is a lifelong commitment to honoring their counsel, the legacy God is using them to help direct us into.
I know that not everyone has a Dad or Mom. Or not everyone is blessed with the relationship with their Dad or Mom that I am. To those folk I would encourage you to do this, go seek out someone that is older than you someone with more life experience. Even if you are 40 or 50 I am sure there is someone that is 60 or 70 that could throw some counsel into your life. I think you would be surprised at how many great people are out there willing to speak words that we need to honor into our lives, if we would just listen!
I am blessed beyond words to have my Mom and Dad as two of my best friends. But I also have a significant number of other folk that I ask and invite into my life to give me counsel that will help me to live a long and blessed life.
“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” –Exodus 20:11
Exodus 20:11 points us back to creation, back to the institution of the Sabbath,
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” –Genesis 2: 2, 3.
This text reminds us that the Sabbath is not some arbitrary law. It’s establishment was not at Mount Sinai when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, but rather was a part of God’s original plan before sin ever entered the world. The Sabbath is as Holy as the establishment of unity between one man and one woman at the beginning of time. The commandment is simply a reminder to all mankind to worship the creator on His holy day.
“But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.” –Exodus 20:10
We most often think of the Sabbath from a very selfish point of view, as a day for us. The reality is that we have responsibility not only to teach others about the Sabbath, but also to not put them in a position where they may be breaking the Sabbath, such as ignoring the command to not work. Are people working for you on God’s holy day?
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work” –Exodus 20:9
This text is more than about a command to simply not work on the 7th day Sabbath. Exodus 20:9 is to remind us that our lives are not dependent upon our labor but rather on the grace of God. While the rest of the world teaches that ceaseless labor is the key to success, God reminds us that worship of the one true God is of ultimate value in our life!