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anglican devotional

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 27 August 2025: Do Not Steal

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TOPIC: Do Not Steal

READ: 2 Samuel 15:1-6 (NKJV)

  1. After this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
  2. Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, “What city [are] you from?” And he would say, “Your servant [is] from such and such a tribe of Israel.”
  3. Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your case [is] good and right; but [there is] no deputy of the king to hear you.”
  4. Moreover Absalom would say, “Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.”
  5. And [so] it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him.
  6. In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

THE MESSAGE:

What God condemns, no man should approve, even by disguise. Stealing is wrong no matter how defined. Absalom was one of the greatest thieves on record. He stole the hearts of the men of Israel by lying, conniving, deceiving, flattering and playing the part of a hypocrite (2 Samuel 15: 2-6). By his divide-and-rule approach, he wanted to overthrow his father, King David, and grab the throne by all means. In his rebellion, he was bold, violent, revengeful, proud, ambitious and vain.

In what ways are we stealing in God’s house? Are we political thieves sharing the so-called national cake, or community thieves, or business thieves telling business lies, or ecclesiastical thieves, or academic thieves, or thieves in various uniforms and establishments? The house of God must be called ‘the house of prayer.’ We must not make it a den of robbers. When we refuse to pay our tithes and give offerings, we are also thieves (Malachi 3:8-10). We should respect those in authority and not act to pull them down. Let the thief no longer steal! (Ephesians 4:28); we must remember this always.

PRAYER: God, in Your mercy, deliver me from the spirit of stealing in Jesus’ name!

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