"A Thief In Church"

I thought that I would share a really cool thing. I think that it happens a lot in church. I know I probably have been guilty of doing thing very thing.

It happened last Sunday and the Sunday before. A thief in
church, Think of it....

The tragic part of it is that this goes on under our very
noses, so to speak. Sometimes we are accomplices without
realizing it. Perhaps this is because we lose sight of the fact
that theft is not confined to material goods alone, that often
things of far greater value are stolen. When this occurs in
church, the offenses seems even more blameworthy.

Take the case of the woman who came to church with a
serious problem on her mind. She came in hoping in the quiet
of worship, to find help in solving her problem, or at least
new courage and faith to sustain her. In the seat behind her
sat a thief. He did not take her purse or her jewels, but he
did rob her most priceless possessions.

The thief would be shocked to hear himself so accused.
It would never occur to him that one could steal anything so
intangible. To be sure, he talked or whisphered on and off
during the service . Maybe he did rattle the order of
service and tap his foot now and then. But, after all, there
wasn't any real harm in that, was there? No harm, when he
robbed one woman of something invaluable. No harm, when
to a greater or lesser degree he robbed everyone seated
near him of the full benefit of the service? No harm, when
he had robbed even himself? And what of the Spirt of
reverence to our Heavenly Father? Was not that stolen, too?