Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading titled Truth, Lies, and Vigilantes, was written by Win Collier.

During the 2018 baseball season, a Chicago Cubs coach wanted to give a baseball to a young boy sitting by the dugout.

But when the coach tossed the ball toward him, a man scooped it up instead. Video of the event went viral.

News outlets and social media skewered this brute of a man. Except viewers didn't know the whole story.

Earlier, the man had helped the young boy snag a foul ball,

and they agreed to share any additional balls that came their way.

Unfortunately, it took 24 hours before the true story emerged.

The mob had already done its damage, demonizing an innocent man.

Too often, we think we have all the facts when we only have fragments.

In our modern gotcha culture with snippets of dramatic video and inflamed tweets, it's easy to

condemn people without hearing the full story.

However, Exodus chapter 23 verse 1

warns us not to spread false reports. We must do everything possible to confirm the truth

before leveling accusations, making sure not to participate in lies. We should be cautious

whenever a vigilante spirit takes hold,

whenever passions ignite and waves of judgment swell. We want to safeguard ourselves from

following the crowd and doing wrong. As believers in Jesus, may God help us not to spread falsehoods,

may he provide what we need to exhibit wisdom, and to make

certain our words are actually true.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Exodus chapter 23 verses 1 through 9.

Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.

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