I have a friend who used to talk to me about his aging mother in a disparaging manner. In fact I’ve had bird dogs that would break on point that didn’t get maligned as badly as he talked about his mom. Sometimes in listening to him I wondered if he might consider buying a shock collar for her for Christmas.
Yes she treated him shabbily as a child (and beyond) and when she got old and in a home for the aged he wanted nothing to do with her. In fact she treated everyone shabbily throughout most of her life, and now no one wants to even be around her. She ended up all alone, sick, miserable, and still full of venom; no doubt a victim of herself and her own actions.
He seemed to view it as: His mom was mean to him and now as far as he is concerned she can just sit down there all alone and die. From a human perspective it may be tempting to think like that, but God’s laws are not from a human perspective and He will not bless that kind of thinking.
I reminded my buddy that honoring your mother and father was in the “Big Ten” and he needed to think about this. I told him that I’ve always viewed the Ten Commandments as the “meat and potatoes” of how we should lead our daily lives. I believe the closer we can come to observing them, the happier we will be.
Not long afterwards the Holy Spirit got hold of him and he got to feeling so guilty about it that he now he goes to see her at least a couple of times every day. She still treats him like a redheaded stepchild and her venom is no less paralyzing, but “he” seems happier now.
While this is a paradox to the unbeliever, it makes perfect sense to the believer because we understand that God’s laws supersede human frailty to include even our “eye for an eye” mentality. In the end our obedience including forgiveness is not about the other person so much as it is about “us”, and our peace of mind. We cannot find it if we disobey God’s laws, (especially one of the Big Ten).
As an entrepreneur I’ve had plenty of businesses and I’ve been the victim of theft in all of them. When I founded Honey Lake Plantation Resort and Spa, I didn’t expect anything different. I’m reminded of something said by that great philosopher and baseball legend Yogi Berra: “The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase”.
“You shall not steal” is of course one of the Ten Commandments. I understand why non-believers engage in it. They don’t fear God; they only fear the authorities, and from what I’ve experienced with our law enforcement and judicial system, they don’t have much to fear from them, because most criminals don’t ever even get apprehended and those that do usually get off via some fast talking attorney.
While they might escape punishment through man’s judicial system, they will not escape the consequences of their sin from God Almighty. There are consequences for breaking God’s laws, (sin) – pure and simple. Consequences of sin are inescapable and they can be devastating.
So, why do people of faith steal? I assume it is similar to the case of my friend, they do not consider the consequences of their actions and react by what comes natural. I owned a food service software company and our software was designed to help prevent theft. In researching theft in the food service industry I was shocked to learn that 87% of workers admitted to stealing. I realize food service workers are among the lowest paid, and that it’s difficult to establish checks and balances to a constantly changing inventory. I was also cognizant that virtually everyone can utilize food, but 87%?????
My father told me that he dreamed he went to an ATM machine and found some money in it. He didn’t report it to anyone and in fact pushed some numbers on the machine and it gave him more and more money, and he just kept milking it for all it was worth before getting the heck out of there. My father is perhaps the most honest person I’ve ever met and would never do something like that in real life. This dream shook him up and he asked if I thought that satan attacks people in their dreams.
Hmmm… Maybe so, but perhaps satan gets blamed too much and our fallen nature and our own propensity for sin is more to blame. My father is a believer and while he might be briefly tempted to keep money found in an ATM, there is no way under the sun that he would keep it. He fears and loves God too much for that.
What would you do if you found money in an ATM?
If you fear God and shudder at the thought of breaking one of the Big Ten you would return it to its rightful owner and not think twice about it.
One thing that most of the thieves I’ve encountered have in common is that they rationalize their stealing.
“That stingy old goat who owns the company won’t pay me what I’m worth, so I’ll just take what I’m due.”
“If this country wouldn’t squander what I pay in taxes, I wouldn’t cheat on them.”
“If this church would make better financial decisions I would give ten per cent of my income as a tithe.”
Really?
No, you are a thief who is breaking one of the Big Ten and you will suffer for it.
The most heavily prescribed medications in the United States are anti-depressants. Dr. Bob scorns at such folly as a remedy for this plague; I prescribe the “Big Ten Commandments”. Take all ten each and every day and your depression will be gone in no time and you can live a joyful, peaceful life full of hope and love.
WARNING: You must take all ten each day. Don’t let satan whisper in your ear and take a single one of them away from you or you will suffer adverse effects that might require a shock collar be applied to your neck by God Himself. Being shocked by it will cause extreme pain in your life, unhappiness, and yes even agony…
Exodus 20:1
And God spoke all these words:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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 manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 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.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”