Life Is Not For The Taking

In 1947 a prison inmate by the name of Willard Wright consented to an experimental operation involving the cutting of nerve pathways in the forebrain. It was an attempt to discover a cure for his urge to steal.… He behaved so well that he was paroled after two-and-a-half years. He secured a job, got married, and gave every evidence of going straight. Five years later, in Pittsburgh, Wright was identified as the man who had passed some stolen goods. Police found thousands of dollars’ worth stored in his home. Back in prison, Wright simply said, “With me, it just didn’t work.”

exodus 20 15

Dr. Edward E. Mayer, Allegheny County court behavior expert, said that in his opinion there never was any reason to believe it would work, because a lobotomy reduces self-control. When detectives asked Wright why he had gone back to crime, he shrugged and said, “You fellows know the questions, so you ought to know the answers.” In commenting on this story, Time magazine said, “The truth was that neither the detective nor the neurosurgeons were any nearer to knowing what makes an incurable thief, let alone how to cure one.” The Bible has the answers to both problems.

—Albert Mygatt

Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 1350.

Exodus 20:15 ESV

“You shall not steal.

It’s about stewardship

We are stewards of God provisions and His creation

Psalm 24:1 ESV

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

psalm 24

If we are stewards then we are managing the resources of another.

If we are about making the most of what we have been given charge over, we won’t worry about taking from someone else.

We won’t steal from God

our offerings

Malachi 3:8–9 ESV

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.

our service

We won’t steal from our families

Spending money on other vices

Allowing other vices to steal our time

We won’t steal from others

not paying our bills.

taking on more debt than we can carry

borrowing and never returning.

Even stealing from the rich to give to the poor

If we start from this point. It makes perfect sense that we don’t have to have look to others in getting what we need and want.

It’s about being content

1 Timothy 6:6–10 ESV

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

1 tim 6 6-10

Contentment is one of the greatest blessings we can receive in this life.

That’s one of the main problems in this society. No one is content. We always are looking for something else.

Rare is the individual that doesn’t fall under the spell of this siren. That lures us to our deaths on the rocks of greed, discontent and consumption.

The source of contentment is God. We only find true contentment in God, and therefore in Christ.

It’s about loving others

Romans 12:9–13 ESV

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Romans 13:9–10 ESV

For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

roman

Romans 12:9–13 ESV

romans 13

Romans 12:9–12 ESV

Love doesn’t seek to hurt. injure or deplete others, on the contrary love looks for ways to heal, restore, or build up

If we are trying to fulfill the law (that’s the 2nd most important law)

Look to Christ and His example..........

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