BBD 01.29.15 Stealing the Kitchen Sink (Classic)
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The Burning
Bush Devotional
Classic
from 2007
01.29.15
Stealing
the Kitchen Sink
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with
his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. -
Ephesians 4:28 NKJV.
A man in Britain took a little vacation to Thailand,
Australia, New Zealand and the United States; and had a great time. However,
when he returned home he was a little upset to find that burglars had been busy
in his house while he was away. The burglars made off with his oven, his wall
units, they stripped his kitchen including his kitchen sink. Perhaps these
burglars were cooks and dishwashers by day? The owner of the home, James Elstub said, “I can't believe I returned home from my holiday to find burglars had
stolen my kitchen sink.” Elstub
resorted to using a microwave for two weeks until he could have everything
replaced.
Sadly, there are some people who make their living by
stealing from others. It has been that way for a very long time. Zacchaeus is a
name that most of us are familiar with, because according to the little
children’s song, he is the “wee little man” who Jesus told to come down
out of the tree. Children and some adults probably have the idea that Zacchaeus
was a harmless little guy that everyone would have loved. This is far from the
truth of the situation. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and he was a very rich
tax collector. He got to be that way by taking whatever extra he could take
from the ones he collected the taxes from. Zacchaeus was a man that most people
in the area would have hated. Not only did they hate him, they may have even
feared him.
The good news is that Zacchaeus changed. Jesus told
Zacchaeus to come down out of that tree (Luke 19) and Zacchaeus did exactly
that. Zacchaeus became a follower of Jesus and began living like one too. We
know this because of what Zacchaeus does. Luke
19:8 tells us, “Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, I give half of my
goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false
accusation, I restore fourfold.’” As the
apostle John says, “My little children, let
us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18).” Zacchaeus began to live like a Christian, like a
believer ought to live. His actions spoke much louder than his words especially
to those that he had overtaxed. He was being obedient to the Law, which states
in Exodus 22:1, “If a man steals an ox or a sheep,
and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four
sheep for a sheep.” Zacchaeus knew that he
had stolen and began to live, as he should.
Why should a person who has stolen give back more than
what was taken? In the time that the Law was written an ox or sheep that was
stolen was the same as taking away the ability to make a living. It was a
traumatic thing and it was only right that more be given back than was taken.
Today, being a victim of a burglary or robbery is still a traumatic thing. It
may not prevent us from making a living, but it is still a major shock to our
system. James Elstub I am sure would agree with that.
Since you have become a Christian, a believer in Jesus
Christ, do your actions prove the truth of that? Have you changed like
Zacchaeus, not just in the words you say, but also in the way you live your
life? Has believing in Jesus made a difference in your life? Would anyone notice
that difference?
Copyright © 2007-2015. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
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