Posted on November 25, 2016 Posted By: mikemeshaw Categories: Uncategorized

Some time ago, I came across the true story of a man who was sentenced to serve time in prison because he was a thief. While there, he was wonderfully converted and became a new creation in Jesus Christ.

When the time came for his release from prison, he knew that he would be tempted to return to his old way of life. His friends would try to draw him back, and he knew that it would not be easy to break the patterns of the past.

The first thing he wanted to do when he was released from prison was to worship and so, on the first Sunday morning of his new freedom, he slipped into an old church building and sat down in the back row. As he looked round, he noticed a plaque inscribed with the words of the Ten Commandments, and his eyes fell on the words that seemed to condemn him: “You shall not steal.”

That’s the last thing I need, he thought to himself. I know my weakness. I know my failure, and I know the struggle I will have to break free from my old way of life.

As the service progressed, the man kept looking at the plaque and, as he read the words, they seemed to take on a new meaning that he had not seen before. In the past, he had known these words as a forbidding command, “You shall not steal.” But now, it seemed that God was speaking these words to him as a marvelous promise, “You shall not steal!”

It seemed to him that God was saying, “You are a new creation in Christ and for this reason, you will not go back to your old way of life. The Holy Spirit now lives in you, and He will lead you in a new life in which you will no longer steal.” ~ Source: Unknown