Thou Shalt Not Steal

          I purchased a plaque a number of years ago which had the words of Isaiah 43:1 on it.  I had not thought about this verse of Scripture for a long time but the thought came back to me yesterday as we listened to a message from the Ten Commandments.  The simple message was from the commandment which says, "Thou shalt not steal."  I usually think about taking something most of the time by accident, from some someone else.  It could involve some of the ball point pens especially from banks that after you fill our the required paper work, you have put in your pocket and find it later and since it is just a ball point pen, you never intend on taking it back to the bank.   Isaiah 43:1 says, "But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine."  
      The message stated that there are two ways where an object is actually yours.  If you created it, it belongs to you and if you purchase it, it also belongs to you.  There can be no question as to ownership if you made the item in question or if you purchased the item.  In the final part of today's passage, we see the words, "...Thou art mine."   The only One Who can utter these words at all is God Himself.  He can look at everyone and say that He is the Creator of them and therefore belong to Him.  We have often been reminded of the passage from Ecclesiastes that says the spirit goes back to God that gave it.  He is the Creator of each and every one of us.  He owns even the unbeliever.   As you begin to think about ownership, it changes how you perceive stealing.  God does have a plan for your life and for my life.  It may take some people more or less time to fulfill that plan because we may be trying to use our agenda because we feel as if we have the right to do with our life whatever we might like to do.  We might feel it is OK to skip worship of God because we have earned the right to take a special journey on a time that might conflict with a set time of worship.  There are 168 hours in the week and some may worship 1 of those hours but due to lack of practice find that they are thinking about something else especially during that time that is supposed to be dedicated to God.  So, in effect, we are stealing from God.  There may come a time when you will say, "I wish I had spent more time focusing on God and worshiping Him, or I wish I had been a better example to my family that I was."  It's not too late to start.  Remember the words of Isaiah, where God said, "...Thou art mine."  Praise God that He holds the deed to everything that we have and everything that we are.