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“He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.” Psalm 24:4-5 (NIV)

Engrained in my mind as a child, I wouldn’t even take a penny off the street unless I was certain it belonged to me. In first grade, I lost my ice cream money at school and when the teacher found a quarter near my desk, I refused to accept it. I was the only one missing out on a delicious treat and tears welled up in my eyes, but I wasn’t convinced it was mine for the taking.

While most of us wouldn’t dare steal something that belongs to someone else – we still may harbor things in our lives. How many times do we steal someone’s joy by sabotaging their victory? How many times do we steal a pen from work – innocently dropping it into our purse? How much time do we waste – stealing from our employer? Have we ever stolen someone’s idea to make us look good? How much time, resources, or talents do we waste in our lives stealing away from the purpose God created for us?

Steal no way – but when we examine these traits, we might find we have hinged on the verge of taking some things that don’t belong to us. Taking what’s not ours is simply saying God hasn’t provided what we need. It screams, “I’m not waiting; I’m taking control.” Not a good thing – never had a moment of my control that served me well. In fact, those times usually end up leaving me wishing I’d waited and demonstrated trust in my God. Stealing definitely cheats us out of God’s best and leaves us wallowing in guilt with dirty hands.

Solution – accept what God has for us, seek His cleansing for wasted moments and lift clean hands in praise to our all Sufficient God. Walk away confident that the One who began a good work in us will complete it. Realize there is nothing we need that our God hasn’t provided and then release our grip on those things we think are ours for the taking. Sounds like a great place to land – faithfully trusting what we can’t see.

“Father, purify our hearts and help us to examine our lives to ensure our trust is firmly planted in You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life