There is a shiny red wagon standing outside the grocery store. The white wheels glisten like snow around the black rims of the tires. The handle is resting against the wooden slats waiting for the owner to start the trip back home with bags full of food.
A ten year old boys stands by admiring the red paint and imagining what it must be like to afford such a wonderful contraption. He begins to wonder how long it will take the owner to return. It isn’t long until the idea comes floating across his mind that he could be gone with the new prize in a matter of seconds. Just as he feels the warmth of the metal handle under his fingers the bell on the door of the store rings as the rightful owner steps into the sunshine.
“Hey there,” a woman smiles down at him. ‘You like that wagon don’t you?”
“Yes madam,’ the boy clutches the handle. “My papa bought this for me for my birthday.” The lie was out of his mouth before he could think about what he was saying and he was down the street in a flash with the woman calling after him.
The boy was claiming what did not belong to him.
If God is not your Lord, do the promises in Psalm 23 belong to you?
