James Bagarozzo worked as a parking meter mechanic for the city of Buffalo, NY. At least he was supposed to be repairing the meters. In fact, he was stealing from them. Over a period of 8 years, Bagarozzo brought home $210,000 worth of quarters—10,500 pounds of them! He was recently sentenced to a two-and-a-half year prison term.

People find many ways to rationalize stealing. Some might think that it’s OK to steal a little bit at a time, especially if you take it from a person or organization that has a lot of money. And it might not seem so bad if no one notices that the money is gone. Robbers can give all kinds of reasons to defend their actions. However, stealing is stealing.

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. ‘But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?” “In tithes and offerings.”—Malachi 3:8.