Jameis Winston is a former Florida State quarterback, widely upheld in April of 2015 to be in the first selection of the upcoming NFL draft.
He was accused of stealing $32 worth of crab legs.
Crab legs? Did he chase down a frantic crab and snap the legs right off? Can we even picture such a bizarre event?
The real story is much simpler. Winston understood a store employee gifted them to him (Local fame does have its perks!) and he was accused of shoplifting when he exited the store.
Stealing affects the body: the crab’s body; the store’s body of employees; the sports body that had credibility and esteem stolen with those crab legs. Who did Winston actually harm, and was it stealing if he thought he had permission? A mistake, maybe. That’s all it was, surely.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 tells us:
“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.”
Ephesians 4:28 says we can turn our behaviors around:
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”
The devil tells us we don’t have to abide by God’s standards. We can slough off on our morals, and that’s okay. However, is he telling us the truth?
Jameis Winston thought someone was doing him a good deed by offering him crab legs for free. His fan, however, didn’t have the right to make that offer.
Christians sometimes think God owes us something. The devil tells us so. The devil, however, doesn’t have the final say-so in the matter. God is the truth-speaker. He’s the one we must listen to. We find our definitive clarification on this in 2 Timothy 3:16:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
All Scripture includes the parts that say the devil is a liar. If we do what the evil one would have us do, we’re destroying the body: God’s body of believers; the body of our family unit; the body of beliefs taught by the apostles; the body of Christ, crucified for our redemption, and renewed by the power of God to plead our case in heaven on a daily basis.
Jameis Winston thought he heard the truth, but he was listening to the wrong voice. Let’s make sure we’re listening to Jesus. He’s the only one we can trust to point us the right direction.
When Jesus speaks to us, we can trust that every word he says is the truth.
Copyright © 2016 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.E.27.16a.vp.esv