You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Exodus 20:14-15

Recently, I’ve seen videos of people openly stealing from stores in major metropolitan areas across our country. That is troubling and maddening, but so is reading about leaders who misdirect funds in local churches. Both are examples of stealing and those actions undermine our lives.

The second verse speaks of telling a falsehood in a legal sense, but as we’ve seen with other commandments, the example is not exhaustive. Is there anything that weakens a relationship more than a lie?

Just this week I interacted with a person who was caught in a lie and when confronted with the truth, she doubled down and dug in a bit further. It was a small thing, but can a person who is less than honest in a meaningless scenario be trusted?

How many of us have fallen short? Have we stolen or cheated or lied? We are all guilty at some level and so the only real solution is the one found in the Spurgeon quote above. God will forgive those who seek repentance and I know that I am one person always in need to be pardoned.