Exodus 23 – Pastor Mac Daily DEVO

If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. ⁵ If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him. Exodus 23:4-5 – While unlikely for us to experience the exact situations depicted in this passage since most of us are not around donkeys and oxen that often, we can feel how this command would have laid heavy on those who heard it. God was directing His people that the ways you might feel about someone doesn’t give you the right to set aside what is the right and loving thing to do towards them. They may be your enemy, they may hate you, and they may have even hurt you and your family, but that doesn’t give you permission to forsake doing what is right in God’s eyes towards them. In our context, we may see that our coworker, who only trash talks us, left his wallet in the chair. We may desire to see it stolen by someone and them having to deal with the damages of that, but the right thing to do is bring it to them. You may hear about how the person who always complains and spreads rumors about you at church is now dealing a tough family issue. Your desire may be to think, “serves them right for all they did,” but God’s heart is for you to reach out and extend your love towards them in this time. What we see in our Exodus passage would have been vastly counter-cultural for the Israelites and would have challenged their norms greatly. A people though that chooses grace over bitterness would be one that fostered reconciliations and would draw the masses to themselves. This is God’s heart for His people today. Live so counter-cultural that people see the worthlessness of the world and the worth of living for Jesus. Yes, loving our enemies will be uncomfortable at times and the last thing we may want to do, but if it draws people to Jesus then it’s worth it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3167

Question To Ponder: How can you today demonstrate grace to someone who doesn’t care for you?

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