PUTTING ON THE NEW SELF (part 3 of 6)

COMMENT:
When Paul tells believers to “put on the new self”, 
he doesn’t ‘leave us hanging’ to try and figure out what that means.
With the Lord’s guidance, Paul is given the wisdom to list a few of 
the areas where we should focus as we make our transition to the ‘new self’.
This is the third of a six part series of brief devotionals the Lord has 
given me for guidance and for sharing with others who have a desire to 
become the new person He wants them to be.

SCRIPTURE:
“…and to put on the new self, 
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
(Ephesians 4:24)

MEDITATION:
We learn to steal at an early age don’t we? 
If you don’t believe it, 
then just put some toddlers together with some toys and observe them. 
One may have twice as many toys as another one, 
but as soon as the other one is not looking, 
he or she will grab their toy and add it to their own pile.

As adults, we look at that kind of action 
and think the child should be happy with what they already have. 
However, many adults do the same thing. 
They fail to appreciate what God has already given them,
and become totally obsessed with what others have
(it could be possessions, talents, looks, personality, etc.).

We have created a society of thieves with no consciences who are envious 
of what belongs to others, and instead of saving their money so they can 
have the same things, they just take what doesn’t belong to them.

During Thanksgiving week, we had a vertical welcome flag that said 
“Give Thanks” and it was stolen by someone during the night!
Imagine the lack of thought or feelings of guiltiness 
that would cause someone to steal something that says “give”.

It’s sad that many parents are teaching their children to continue their 
mentality of taking things that do not belong to them 
with no feelings of remorse.
It can be something as small as taking a pen 
or something else fairly inexpensive from the place where they work.

The attitude seems to be, ‘It doesn’t cost much and the company 
makes enough money that they wouldn’t miss this one item’.
However, it cannot be justified in any way, 
and is still a violation of God’s command that “thou shalt not steal”.

Stealing can also include ignoring the mistakes of others.
For instance, one day when I went to lunch, there was a long line 
at the register paying for their meals.
I gave the girl a five dollar bill and she gave me change for a twenty.
When I gave her back the extra change, the look on her face, 
and the expression of her appreciation, was worth far more than
the few bucks I could have kept by ignoring her mistake.

Unfortunately, stealing can become a habit in the most subtle way.
Satan has convinced many that it is okay to steal from God.
“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not 
destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away 
from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return 
to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ 
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, 
‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.” (Malachi 3:6-8)

Giving God what He asks of us is not only being obedient to Him,
but is also an expression of our love for Him and all He has given us.

The scriptures give us a great remedy for those who think stealing is okay; 
we are told that we ‘must work’. 
If someone else has something we like and want, rather than taking what 
doesn’t belong to us, we should dedicate ourselves to working and saving 
(including the control of our impulse buying) 
until we can buy it for ourselves.

This is probably one of the main reasons 
scripture tells us not to boast about anything. 
When we brag about what we have, and/or, how it is the best, we can feed 
the fire of envy in others that could create a desire in them to steal.

The scriptures take it one step further 
than working to get the things we want. 
We are told that when we do things the right way and put in an honest day’s 
work, we open the door of opportunity to share with the less fortunate.

Stealing is not expected of those 
who have ‘put on the new self’ as one who has been ‘created to be like God’.
Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, 
doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have 
something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

ACTION:
Pray,
“Heavenly Father forgive me for the times I have stolen from others and 
help me to always work for the things I desire in the future. Teach me the 
joy of giving to others who have needs. Thank You, Jesus, for giving to
me before I even realized I had a need!”