We would have stopped short if we only mention that Jesus transforms "You shall not steal" by giving himself as our treasure. That would be a rather self-centered sermon. We have to also remember that instead of being judged and punished, we now have the privilege of being in his service. For we belong to God, his treasured possession, as we are refined by the trials and testings in this life.
I dont know about you guys, but as a young Singapore who will soon have to deal with the pressures of wedding bills and home mortgage, it takes a supernatural awakening of my spirit to be generous. Every fibre of my being wants to be debt-free and that would mean cutting back on blessing others. Yet once again I am reminded to fix my eyes and my heart on life beyond earth, that the money I supposedly earn is but under my stewardship. What better way to spend it than for the glory of his kingdom, not on my own interests but that of others whom Christ loves just as much as I.
From pages 99-102 and 120-121 of: How Jesus Transforms The Ten Commandments
"Our inheritance is more than the blessings of glory, more than the new heavens and earth. It is the Lord, who gives himself to us, that we may be one with him. Yes, Jesus Christ does all this in transforming the commandment of property rights, "You shall not steal." He gives himself as our treasure...
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knew that he could keep those whom the Father had given him. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." He added, "No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one" (John 10:27-30). No one can steal the inheritance of the divine Shepherd. As we are the inheritance, the property of the Lord, so, too, we possess our inheritance in Christ. We belong to Jesus; he belongs to us...
In the power of Christ and his love we can learn not only to refrain from stealing what belongs to others, but to multiply our treasure by clinging to Christ alone. Out of the bounty of that miraculous multiplication of our gifts and treasure, we can amply supply those whom Christ places in our path. Let us shower on those around us the treasure God has given us, not counting the cost, but looking to that treasure that is laid up in heaven for us, namely, Christ himself."
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