Thieves are thugs! They are good for nothing nobodies who want to get their hands on things of somebodies. Thieves have nor rightfully earned things but they think they have the right to snatch stuff from others. Thieves are crooks and deceivers who have nothing better to do than cause havoc for other people. They meddle in business that is not theirs and disrupt the lives of other decent folk.
In some countries thieves were treated with very harsh discipline – the hand that stole was cut off. This is a reminder to them and others not to do the wrong thing. Anything that does not belong to you is not yours – simple as that! In the Ten Commandments, it states categorically that you should not steal or covet anything of your neighbour’s – read Deuteronomy 5:19,21.
“The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy” – we read in John 10:10a. We should be wary of him and not entertain him in any way. “Right!” you may say. Who is this thief? What does he steal? Have you been robbed by him? Well, anyone who steals something from you is classified as a thief. It includes a housebreaker, robber, shoplifter, embezzler, con man, hijacker etc.
Did you ever think of anything that craftily and deliberately robs you of something precious? Perhaps you are not aware of how subtly it can rob you. Traditionally, families ate dinner at the dining table and chatted with each other on events unfolding in their day. This seems to be in the bygone past for the countless number of people where television and other electronic media takes centre stage in their lives – even at mealtimes.
How many couples go to bed with their electronic devices next to their head side? One of the last things they do is check the news, weather, mail or social media sites. How much do they communicate with each other as a couple? Do they realise the subtle ways in which their time is being invaded? Importantly, do we realise the effect that this added information is having on our mind, mood and actions?
The thief comes to destroy and his tactics are very covert and cunning. How focused are young minds that are constantly bombarded with technology? Parents say that the programs the kids watch are educational. But, are we creating opportunities for independent thinking, creative exploration and collaborative behaviours? Have you read the statistics of maladjusted children and youth? This cause for alarm heralds greater psychological and mental catastrophes.
Are we being destroyed by an invisible enemy? Are we on the self-destruction cause, yet blissfully unaware of it? Are we asleep to the perils vying for our life? John 10:10b adds an important disclosure, “But I have come to give you life and give you life more abundantly.” The opposite of a thief is a deliverer, redeemed, saviour, defender, guardian, liberator, protector, good man, good shepherd etc.
Do you want to live a life of fullness and abundant blessing? Do you want to be protected from the thief that wants to invade your soul and rob your life? Read John 10:11,14,28 and Isaiah 40:11. The Good Shepherd protects, provides, cares for, nourishes and preserves His sheep.◊
Linda Pearl
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