Week 37: How can I show that I’m trustworthy?

The Ten Commandments are God’s most basic rules. Two of those commands address the importance of being trustworthy. Next week we’ll take a look at being trustworthy with our words. But first, this week’s devotion will explore what God says about being trustworthy with our actions.

Be ready to read the following passages:

Let’s start it.

What are some actions that show that a person isn’t trustworthy?

Let’s learn it.

Any behavior you have to hide is usually wrong behavior. Even thieves sneak around in the darkness to hide what they’re doing because they understand that their actions are wrong. Taking something that doesn’t belong to you is stealing, and we know that stealing is wrong. Check out Exodus 20:15 to see how the Eighth Commandment addresses stealing.

We learned last week that every sinful behavior has an opposite, God-honoring behavior. What does Ephesians 4:28 suggest the opposite of stealing is?

Instead of taking what belongs to someone else, our hands should be busy working so we can share what we’ve earned with others. The book of Luke tells the true story of a man who stopped cheating people in his community after he met Jesus. Ask someone in your family to read his story in Luke 19:1-9.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector. It was his job to collect money owed to the government, but Zacchaeus was not honest. He collected more than people owed and kept the extra for himself. When Zacchaeus met Jesus, however, he stopped cheating people, paid back what he had stolen, and gave back more than he had taken.

Obeying God’s command not to steal includes more than respecting another person’s property and money. If your eyes wander to a classmate’s paper during a test, then you’re stealing his or her answers. We sometimes forget that nothing can be hidden from God. He knows everything you think and sees everything you do. Fully obeying the Eighth Commandment means being completely trustworthy with all of your actions.

Let’s discuss it.

  1. Think back to the untrustworthy actions you discussed in Let’s start it. Name an opposite, God-honoring behavior for each one.
  2. As a family, discuss what you think about the following statements:
    1. Bringing a pen home from your workplace or wasting time at work is robbing your employer.
    2. Copying another person’s homework is cheating.
    3. Taking credit for another person’s words or ideas is stealing.

Let’s do it.

Will you choose to respect other people’s money, property, time, and ideas? Remember, hard work and honesty honor God. If you are a student – work hard. If you are a parent or teenager with a job – work hard. Then be generous with the knowledge and money you’ve earned. If you find yourself trying to hide something you’ve done from your parents, your teacher, or your boss, don’t forget that nothing is hidden from God. So be careful to show that you can be trusted each and every day.

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