Who's the thief?

I was watching this Taiwanese drama series 'Sunshine Angel'. The story was about a guy who lost his parents at a young age and even though his parents left a multinational company for him, he always felt insecure about his inheritance. Just as how his parents were suddenly taken away from him, he feared the same would happen to his company.  It turned out that indeed, his inheritance was swindled off by none other than his childhood friend. He was betrayed and deceived into giving up not only his company but all his assets to his friend.

When he confronted his friend, his friend did not feel the least bit of remorse or guilt. Instead, the friend put all the blame on him, saying that he was too arrogant, inconsiderate to others' feelings and too trusting. In short, he deserved it. What audacity! How could his friend accuse him when he was the one who stole his inheritance!  In any case, the inheritance belonged to him as the rightful heir regardless of his behaviour or character. The truth is, such things happen in the lives of children of God as well. We are just blinded to it.

You see, when your possessions are stolen from you, regardless of whether it was your own mistake, it was the devil who stole from you. And this same thief, after stealing your inheritance from God, comes to you and accuses you of being the culprit for causing your own loss. He accuses you and condemns you because he himself stands accused and condemned by God. The Holy Spirit convicts believers of our righteousness but condemns the prince of this world because he is judged (John 16:11).

The good news is: the thief has been caught by Jesus and exposed! And when he is caught, the law of restitution in Exodus 22:2-3 says 'If the thief is found breaking in and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, he shall be then sold for his theft.'

Under that law, God will make the thief pay double for what he has stolen. Praise the Lord! Dear friends, if you have been stolen (either a job, finances, baby, relationships), it does not matter if the mistake is your own making. Your inheritance was paid by Jesus' death and you did nothing to earn it in the first place. Look to Jesus your Redeemer who would restore all that was lost to you!