Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Ephesians 4:28 ESV
Something to note here, let the thief no longer steal. It did not stop there, "but rather let him labor". You don't just stop something, you replace it with another. The activities of the thief, which is to steal, must not only stop, but it has to be replaced with something useful. That's what change is all about. You don't stop at refraining from doing the wrong things, you replace them with doing the right things. Here the basic solution in replacing the activities of a thief is to find wholesome labor. Let him start doing honest work. He may not have the privilege to choose what type of work that is. He may have to settle for some manual labor, or somethings that may not be as high paying as he would expect right away, but he has to begin doing some honest work. Doing so will keep him busy. Doing so will let him have productive time. Doing so will also make him realize that money earned does not come easily. That when he steals something from someone, he has deprived that person of precious time he had devoted when he worked for that salary he once stole. This has no intention of condemning the person, just a proper understanding of how things work. From then, the next step is generosity. Someone who used to take what was not his. Now works hard for what is his, and has the willingness to share something away to others. That in itself is remarkable. 18 December
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