Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 20:15.
“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15.
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It is Christmas day. “Surely, I can take a break today from writing this daily devotion.“, I thought. Generally, I love and thrive on writing these daily devotions, but the thought did occur to me this morning. I was bothered by that thought.
Then, I decided to write and thought: “Shouldn’t there be a cheerful Christmas message?”
I dismissed that thought and focused: “No, the eight commandment is next.”
So, I read what the Heidelberg Catechism states about this eight commandment: “You shall not steal.” The last phrase (that I put in bold, italic highlight) popped out at me like a light on a Christmas tree, and I knew that the theme of this devotion was important for this Christmas day.
Question 110. What doth God forbid in the eighth commandment?
Answer. God forbids not only those thefts, and robberies, which are punishable by the magistrate; but he comprehends under the name of theft all wicked tricks and devices, whereby we design to appropriate to ourselves the goods which belong to our neighbor: whether it be by force, or under the appearance of right, as by unjust weights, ells, measures, fraudulent merchandise, false coins, usury, or by any other way forbidden by God; as also all covetousness, all abuse and waste of his gifts.
Question 111. But what doth God require in this commandment?
Answer. That I promote the advantage of my neighbor in every instance I can or may; and deal with him as I desire to be dealt with by others: further also that I faithfully labor, so that I may be able to relieve the needy.
Now, I am not stating that we need to labor on this Christmas day in the same way that we do every other day. But, I am stating that we should not abuse and waste God’s gifts, even on Christmas day.
Furthermore, there may be someone out there (my neighbor) who has extra time today, this Christmas day, to read this devotion and wants a “fresh” devotion and will gain advantage from it.
Today, even on this Christmas day, God may tug at your heart to use a gift that He has given you to help someone. Therefore, let us promote the advantage of our neighbor in every instance that we can or may. And, by the way, this eighth commandment, through God’s grace, turned out to be a cheerful Christmas message, because we discovered today that we delight to do God’s will every day, even on Christmas day.
“I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8
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