October 23

Ephesians 4:28
“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” ―Ephesians 4:2828Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. (Ephesians 4:28).
HE who fails to distinguish between “thine” and “mine” has not learned the first principle of integrity in human relations. There is no communism sanctioned by the Bible except that voluntary sharing which at the beginning of the Christian era was practiced for a time by the persecuted believers in Christ, who said not that ought they possessed was their own, but distributed as every man had need. Such a system was never obligatory, nor is it practical at all times. Respect for the rights of the individual and the recognition of the sacredness of property lie at the base of all reputable government. These fundamentals were insisted on in the law given at Sinai and confirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry as well as by the Holy Spirit afterward. To ignore them is fatal and means the downfall of ordered society. The intelligent Christian will stand firmly against the atheistic and ruinous systems of Marxian socialism and communism, not because of selfishness, but because of conscience toward God and respect for the rights of his fellow-men.
“I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way:
I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done.
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run,
And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.
For I may not understand you and the high advice you give.
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.”