YOU SHALL NOT STEAL / EXODUS 20:15

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Exodus 20:15

Thou shalt not steal.

Beyond Taking: Living out the 8th Commandment in an Honest World

Exodus 20:15 contains one of the shortest yet most far-reaching commands in Scripture: “You shall not steal.” While we often associate this commandment with robbing a bank or shoplifting, its spiritual and practical applications run much deeper. God calls us to a standard of absolute integrity that touches our finances, our work, and our relationships.

What Does it Mean to Steal?

At its core, stealing is taking anything that belongs to another person without permission or right. However, if we only measure our obedience by whether we have committed a crime, we miss the heart of God’s law.

Stealing can take many subtle forms in our modern lives:

• Cheating: Whether it is cutting corners on taxes, inflating an expense report, or cheating on an exam, taking credit or money dishonestly is a form of theft. As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 8:21, we must “provide things honest, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.”
• Time Theft: Failing to give a full day’s work for a full day’s pay is a quiet way of taking what isn’t ours.
• Withholding Good: Keeping back what is rightfully owed to others—whether it is fair wages, borrowed items, or even proper recognition—violates this command.

The Call to Complete Honesty

The eighth commandment is not just a negative restriction; it is a positive invitation to live a life of complete honesty. True integrity means that our private actions match our public faith. When we choose honesty in our daily transactions, we show the world that we trust God to provide for our needs rather than relying on deception to get ahead.

By respecting the property, time, and boundaries of others, we reflect the trustworthy character of our Creator.

🖤 Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for Your Word, which guides our steps and protects our hearts. Forgive us for the times we have cut corners, compromised our integrity, or taken what did not rightfully belong to us. We ask for the strength to practice complete honesty in all our dealings with others.

Help us to trust in Your provision so completely that we never feel tempted to take shortcuts. May our words, our work, and our finances bring honor to Your name. Guard our hearts against greed, and fill us with a spirit of gratitude and generosity.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

1. YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY / EXODUS 20:14
2. YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER / EXODUS 20:13
3. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER / EXODUS 20:12
4. REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY / EXODUS 20:8
5. NOT MISUSE THE NAME OF THE LORD / EXODUS 20:7
6. THE CHILDREN / EXODUS 20:5
7. AN IDOL IN THE FORM OF ANYTHING / EXODUS 20:4
8. YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME / EXODUS 20:3
9. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS / EXODUS 20:1-17
10. AND GOD SPOKE ALL THESE WORDS / EXODUS 20:1
11. THUNDER AND LIGHTNING / EXODUS 19:16
12. A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS AND A HOLY NATION / EXODUS 19:6
13. IF YOU OBEY ME FULLY – MY TREASURED POSSESSION / EXODUS 19:5
14. I CARRIED YOU ON EAGLES’ WINGS / EXODUS 19:4
15. THE DESERT OF SINAI / EXODUS 19:1
16. SELECT CAPABLE MEN / EXODUS 18:21
17. NOW I KNOW THAT THE LORD IS GREATER / EXODUS 18:11
18. JETHRO RECEIVED HER / EXODUS 18:2-5
19. MOSES HELD UP HIS HANDS / EXODUS 17:11
20. JOSHUA / EXODUS 17:9
21. STRIKE THE ROCK / EXODUS 17:6
22. RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY / EXODUS 16:30
23. EACH MORNING / EXODUS 16:21
24. BREAD FROM HEAVEN – IN THIS WAY I WILL TEST THEM / EXODUS 16:4
25. GRUMBLED AGAINST MOSES / EXODUS 16:2
26. I AM THE LORD WHO HEALS YOU / EXODUS 15:26
27. PROPHETESS / EXODUS 15:20
28. THEN MOSES SANG THIS SONG / EXODUS 15:1-18
29. FEARED THE LORD AND PUT THEIR TRUST IN HIM / EXODUS 14:31
30. THE WATER FLOWED BACK / EXODUS 14:28
31. THROUGH THE SEA ON DRY GROUND – A WALL OF WATER ON THEIR RIGHT AND ON THEIR LEFT / EXODUS 14:21-22
32. THE PILLAR OF CLOUD / EXODUS 14:19-20
33. THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU / EXODUS 14:14
34. A PILLAR OF CLOUD / EXODUS 13:21
35. NOTHING WITH YEAST IN IT IS TO BE SEEN / EXODUS 13:7
36. CONSECRATE TO ME EVERY FIRSTBORN MALE / EXODUS 13:1-2
37. WHAT DOES THIS CEREMONY MEAN TO YOU? / EXODUS 12:26-27
38. NO YEAST IS TO BE FOUND IN YOUR HOUSES / EXODUS 12:19
39. MUST BE CUT OFF FROM ISRAEL / EXODUS 12:15
40. MUST BE CUT OFF FROM ISRAEL / EXODUS 12:15
41. A LASTING ORDINANCE / EXODUS 12:14
42. YOUR CLOAK TUCKED INTO YOUR BELT YOUR SANDALS ON YOUR FEET / EXODUS 12:11
43. BITTER HERBS AND BREAD MADE WITHOUT YEAST / EXODUS 12:8
44. THEY ARE TO TAKE SOME OF THE BLOOD / EXODUS 12:7
45. THE FIRST MONTH OF YOUR YEAR / EXODUS 12:1-2
46. FIRSTBORN … WILL DIE / EXODUS 11:5
47. A FESTIVAL / EXODUS 10:9
48. YOU MAY TELL YOUR CHILDREN / EXODUS 10:1-2
49. I HAVE RAISED YOU UP FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE / EXODUS 9:15-16
50. LIVESTOCK OF THE EGYPTIANS / EXODUS 9:6
51. YOUR CATTLE / EXODUS 9:2-3
52. THIS IS THE FINGER OF GOD / EXODUS 8:18-19
53. FROGS / EXODUS 8:2
54. HE STRUCK THE WATER / EXODUS 7:20
55. IT BECAME A SNAKE / EXODUS 7:12
56. I WILL HARDEN PHARAOH’S HEART / EXODUS 7:3-4
57. THEY DID NOT LISTEN TO HIM / EXODUS 6:9
58. I WILL TAKE YOU AS MY OWN PEOPLE AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD / EXODUS 6:7
59. BY MY NAME THE LORD I DID NOT MAKE MYSELF KNOW TO THEM / EXODUS 6:3
60. YOU HAVE NOT RESCUED YOUR PEOPLE AT ALL / EXODUS 5:23
61. IS THIS WHY YOU SENT ME? / EXODUS 5:22
62. THIS IS WHAT THE LORD – THE GOD OF ISRAEL SAYS / EXODUS 5:1
63. THE LORD WAS ABOUT TO KILL HIM / EXODUS 4:24
64. ISRAEL MY FIRSTBORN / EXODUS 4:22
65. I WILL HARDEN HIS HEART / EXODUS 4:21
66. WHO MAKES HIM BLIND? / EXODUS 4:11
67. I AM SLOW OF SPEECH / EXODUS 4:10
68. STAFF … BECAME A SNAKE / EXODUS 4:2-3
69. ASK … PLUNDER THE EGYPTIANS / EXODUS 3:22
70. I AM WHO I AM / EXODUS 3:14
71. I WILL BE WITH YOU / EXODUS 3:12
72. MILK AND HONEY / EXODUS 3:8
73. SEEN THE MISERY OF MY PEOPLE / EXODUS 3:7
74. HOLY GROUND / EXODUS 3:5
75. THE ANGEL OF THE LORD / EXODUS 3:2
76. MOSES WAS TENDING THE FLOCK / EXODUS 3:1
77. THEIR CRY WENT UP TO GOD / EXODUS 2:23
78. MIDIAN / EXODUS 2:15
79. KILLED THE EGYPTIAN / EXODUS 2:12
80. MOSES / EXODUS 2:11
81. HEBREW BABIES / EXODUS 2:6
82. A SON / EXODUS 2:1-2
83. SLAVE MASTERS OVER THEM TO OPPRESS THEM / EXODUS 1:11
84. WHO DID NOT KNOW ABOUT JOSEPH / EXODUS 1:8
85. MULTIPLIED GREATLEY / EXODUS 1:6-7
86. THE SONS OF ISRAEL / EXODUS 1:1-5
87. CREWS N AWAY: ANCHORED IN GRACE

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Blessings, Margarita & Stace