The Ten Commandments: A 10-Day DevotionalSýnishorn

You Shall Not Steal

Jesus is never against the human impulse for treasure. He’s against the fool who thinks that earthly treasure really satisfies or lasts. The old joke is that you never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul. You can’t take it with you. 

Do you want to be safe and secure? Do you want to have enough? Do you want to have mansions and palaces? Do you want to rule? Do you want to have treasure that never rusts, stock that never depreciates, and a retirement account that never loses value? Good! Let me tell you how you can have it: store up treasure in heaven. There’s no rust or moths there. There are no downturns in the economy there. Think about what really matters. The desire for security is not bad. The desire for possessions is not bad. The desire for joy is not bad. But Jesus says, “Don’t be a fool about it.” 

Think of the astonishing promise Peter gives to us: “[God] has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:3–4).

Reflect

How might a deeper grasp of the eighth commandment change the ways you conduct yourself in business and in your personal life?