Consider the pay of top executives: the vast sums of money that are paid out to people today. Is that not daylight robbery? What human being, of whatever genius, can possibly be worth the vast sums which the captains of industry pay themselves? Do they really think they are worth these huge sums? Even if the whole thing goes wrong, they still get vast sums; huge, massive pensions, and pay-outs! Amazing, staggering! That is the culture of our time, and of course, people steal, purloin, pilfer, on a small scale as well. But not Christians! This is a deep, moral issue.
Well, do you overcharge in your business? I was only speaking to somebody the other day about this, and I heard someone say, ‘The trouble with people today, or so many people, is that they don’t want to earn a living; they want to earn a fortune!’ Well, do you overcharge? Do you sting people? Or, in employment, do you underwork, so that you are not really giving value for money? It is stealing! The Christian conscience, the new nature, cannot do that. Do you use business time and business materials for personal things? That’s a form of stealing. Do you steal at other levels? Steal the credit for something? Somebody did that, and you did a little bit, and you had the opportunity to steal the credit for it, and get the praise. Do you steal from your wife and your home by being out much too much? By attending to other things or other friends, so that you are not investing the time you should? You are not making your wife, your husband, happy as you ought to do, and being fully supportive and playing your part. Do you steal from church members? No, no! How would I steal from church members? Well you let them go out and do all the visiting, and do the Lord’s work, and clean the chapel, and do all the things that are necessary, and you do not do your share. That is stealing!
Are you a sponger? There, even among Christians, you hear about it in the world, people who could perfectly well do some job of work, but they are on all sorts of benefits. We have every sympathy for people who need to be, and we are very thankful that benefits are there. And, of course, Christian people are a sympathetic people, and a caring people. But in society there are some people who take advantage of these things and they do not work when they could work. Some people – I hesitate to say this, because we do not want to put anyone off seeking comfort and relief when they need it, but there are some people who will always need comfort and relief; they exist to need comfort and relief when they do not really need it, and they are quite a burden on society, or even on their Christian fellowship. They are not playing their part, pulling their weight, doing what they could do, and that is very sad. The old nature takes, steals; the new nature wants to give out and help.
It’s the same with the gospel. Can you steal the gospel? You can! You can listen to sermons, and drink in truth, but never witness, never give out. Even that is stealing: you are stealing grace; it is a form of theft. The new nature gives out: it is kind, helpful, supportive; it is generous, not mean. Meanness is a form of stealing when you have the ability to help. Labour to be generous; labour to be helpful; labour to be a secret benefactor of others where there are real needs; labour to be outgoing, like Christ. ‘He is the one I desire to imitate. He came from the glorious courts of heaven and gave so much – such incalculable suffering, and his own perfect righteousness to bring us to heaven. I want to represent him and be like him.’ And you can be sure that if only you are like him, the Lord will use you more and more, in your witness to your children, to those around you.