15 “You shall not steal. Exodus 20:15

This is another command that the Lord shouldn’t need to spell out because it seems so obvious, but it encompasses quite a bit.

It is also an open ended command. In other words, nothing a person has can be stolen: property, life, intellectual property, dignity, reputation, trust. The latter three deal with what we say about someone else.

We live in an age where the media can steal destroy someone’s reputation in one 24-hour news cycle. The case of the 17-year-old kid who wore the red MAGA hat while staring down the Native American in D.C. He did nothing wrong but the media sought to destroy him.

Social media can steal and destroy in a different way. Kids are bullied and harassed to the point where they think crazy life-ending thoughts.

Our written words can steal a person’s dignity and reputation quickly. Careful what you type on the web – even if you’re certain you’re right; it is forever. Once you send it; it’s on the interwebs forever.