Men rob God by simply withholding what God requested. This robbing takes on two forms: not giving what God has required or giving less than one’s best.
Sin has consequences and brings responsibility. A man who gets right with the Lord should naturally look for ways to restore that which he has stolen.
Many people think that guilt is only the burden of those who personally commit sin. The reality is that consenting to wickedness is equally as bad.
The thief does not care for the well-being of those he victimizes. He cares for himself and only himself. He hurts and has no trouble hurting others.
Sin develops, plots, schemes, and finalizes its dastardly deeds within the heart of the guilty long before the sin manifests itself to the eyes of others.
To steal is to wrongfully and selfishly take something that belongs to someone else and place it amongst one’s own possessions.
Living the Christian life is not limited in time or place. In fact, the workplace serves as one of the most important places for a Christian to exemplify a testimony for the Lord Jesus. Yet, Christians can fail miserably by being lazy workers or disobedient to employers. According to scripture, servants are to obey their masters (Titus 2:9) from the heart (Colossians 3:22) with fear and trembling (Ephesians 6:5-6). Not only are Christians responsible to obey godly bosses, but the Bible commands the same respect to be given to those who are froward (1 Peter 2:18). Believers ought to behave beyond the norm in their service in the workplace. The Bible affirms this truth by saying that servants should “please” their masters well in all things (Titus 2:9). Many lost people have been led to Christ by Christians who live godly and display an impeccable testimony at work.
Diligent Bible study is commanded of God. However, far too many Christians simply fail to comprehend the depths and riches of God's words. For instance, society has distorted the meaning of obey by limiting obedience solely to following a set of commands. Although obedience certainly does involve following the rules, the Bible indicates a much broader application. Today's passage sheds light on obedience and the depth of its meaning. The Bible says that Israel “would not hear them, nor do them” (that is, hear or do the commandments of God). With this context, it is easy to understand that the Bible defines disobedience as the refusal to hear and do the commandments of the Lord. Other similar passages teach this same truth (1 Samuel 15:22; Proverbs 5:13; Jeremiah 17:23). Obedience is twofold: first, the individual must have an attentive ear, and second, he must act by faith.
