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By Prince Malachi

There is a certain way Yahweh wants us to interact with the people we live near and around. It is clearly mapped out in His Word.

I believe the most powerful element in existence is love. What kind of world would we live in, if everyone that claimed to be a Christian made moves in love?

Romans 13:8-10 teaches us that when we really love we will not…

  1. Go beyond the bounds of the moral law (v 8, 10)
  2. Deny a man his wife (v 9)
  3. Rob any woman of her virtue/power ( v 9)
  4. Murder ( v 9)
  5. Hate anyone ( v 9 )
  6. Take what belongs to someone else ( v 9)
  7. Rob a man of his good name or reputation ( v 9)
  8. Covet what over people have ( v 9)
  9. Love only yourself ( v 9)
  10. Does no harm to anyone ( v 10)

As Christians, We Set The Example

As Christians, Yahweh demands we set an example. Give props where props are due. Don't you like to hear “good job” and “congratulations”?  I bet you do. And if someone owes or borrowed something from you, you want what you are owed when it is due right? So we should all show that same respect.  We should not waste money on a bunch of things we don’t need. There is nothing wrong with getting what we like here and there but some of us like to overdo it just because we can. Then again some of us actually can’t and are spending money we don’t have. We should spend less time spoiling ourselves and more time helping to meet the needs of the diseased, hungry, and dying. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. If you buy something like a house or car, and you can not make the payments on time, you can be considered irresponsible,  unethical, and dishonest. It’s almost like you took something that isn't yours. Now you can’t even pay what you owe. As Christians, we have a duty to pay bills and debts on time. When we don’t we hurt the name of Christ, make Christians look bad, and push people away from Christianity. As Christians, Yah holds us to a higher standard. We are to set the example. 

We Owe Everyone Love!

Romans 13:8 teaches that one thing every Christian should owe everyone is love! Every Christian showing genuine love is how we build the perfect community.

Love Does Now Allow You To Kill

Murder and violence are everywhere. We allow violence to be shown on TV, in movies and other entertainment. It’s even cool for our children to be fed this stuff daily. And the more we see it, the more desensitized we become. We don’t value life as we should.

Yeshua taught that anger and hate are equal to murder. Why because anger and hate lead to murder. If that is true then that means less anger leads to less murder. Ok, so how do we do that? With more love. See more love equals less hate and anger, So it is important that God’s people show more love in our communities. We set the example. And we do this by studying scripture and praying regularly. We ask for the gift of love from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will put it in you and stir it up. And when that happens there won’t be any room for hate and anger.

But there are other ways we kill. 

  • An employer can force people to work in unsafe or dirty conditions. And that can lead to death
  • Landlords can force people to live in unsafe or dirty conditions
  • Getting people hooked on drugs, even the legal stuff

As Christians, we should value and respect life. And we are to always love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:39)

Love Does Not Allow You To Steal

When you are full of love, you don’t steal. Klepheis is the Greek word used in Romans 13:9 for steal. It means to either legally or illegally cheat or take something that belongs to another person. Oh yeah, people steal legally. But just because something is legal does not mean it’s ok! Just think about…

  • People take from others without actually doing anything illegal
  • People can take too much of something, much more than they need, keeping others from getting it too
  • You have leaders in government who steal taxpayer money or misuse it 
  • Workers who steal from their boss
  • Companies that steal through low pay for workers and high prices for consumers.
  • Athletes steal through performance-enhancing drugs
  • Not paying bills
  • Not paying debts

Stealing is a problem that can lead to other problems like assault and even murder. It can destroy families, companies, communities and countries. Now let's talk about types of stealing. There are at least three.

  1. Taking something that is not yours
  2. Hoarding more than you need 
  3. Living beyond what you need

Let's break it down!

Taking Something That's Not Yours

Of course you know this but, if you own it and I take it that’s stealing. Even if it’s something small like pens or paper from work, or the answers to a test. It can be big like a business cheating the system through shady bookkeeping. It’s all the same, it's stealing ( Tit, 2:10; 1.Pe. 4:15; Pr 11:1; Pr. 20:14)

Hoarding More Than You Need

When you store more than what you need for yourself and your family you are stealing from your community. So when you go to the store, and buy out all of one product to take home and sit on it, that's stealing. Right now, while I’m writing this, we are in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. Right before things got serious in the United States this guy got what he thought was a good idea. He traveled all over his state and bought out all the sanitizer he could. He got up to 17,700 bottles and kept them in his garage. Why? Because when you are looking everywhere for sanitizer and you can find it anywhere, you can buy it from him at inflated prices. That's stealing! Source: NY Times.

You can also hoard knowledge and wisdom. If you are blessed with wisdom and knowledge and you don’t share it, you are stealing. That isn’t just for you. (Mt. 6:19-2; Lk 3:13; Ep. 4:28; 1 Tim 6:17-19; Eze 22:12

Living Beyond What You Need

Some of us overindulge to satisfy our flesh. More clothing than we need, more cars than we need, and more property than we need. I’m a collector. I love to collect things like watches and old books. I know of people that collect classic cars. I don’t think Yah has a problem with collecting within reason. But just like with anything else we can overdo it. If your collection is so big, you can’t enjoy the full collection, what’s the point?

There are many problems in the world today. People that don’t believe in God, use the argument that if there were a god, He would not allow these problems to exist. But the truth is, Yahweh has given us everything we need to meet the needs we have. What is missing as a whole is genuine love and the sacrificial commitment to do our part and give the resources.

Stealing is a heart issue. It starts in the heart. It starts with coveting ( we will talk about this later) Lust and desire deep in your heart. (Jas 1:14-15)

We all have a role in our community. Yahweh wants to use you to do great things right where you live. We don’t have to go overseas. You can help change your own block. So what are you doing to make that happen? What will you do to make that happen?

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Prince Malachi is the founder of The Oracle Network and the Streetwear brand Y.A.H. Apparel

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