Discerners of the Heart

According to Genesis 8:22, as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest will go on. In other words, as long as there is an earth, work will go on. That was God's plan from the beginning, and He has never put a stop to it.

I think that everyone, almost without exception, has gone through hard times and needed assistance. This verse isn't referring to that at all. There were people then, just like now, that refuse to work. They are constantly wanting a handout, not a hand-up.

I was making a delivery into Wyoming a couple of years ago. I stopped at a truck stop and saw a dad and daughter standing by the entrance holding a sign that said, "Out of gas, need help." The compassion in me rose up, and I made the decision to help them if they were still there when I came back through. Well, they were still there, so I filled a gas can and drove to where they were parked. There wasn't one vehicle; there were two, both nice motor homes. So, two families traveling together happened to run out of gas at the same time? I watched them for a while, and the more I observed, the more questions I had. I went with my gut and left. They had all the trappings of scammers. Worst of all, kids were involved.

As Christians, we are taught to be generous and help people. On the flip side, we haven't been taught to be discerners of the heart behind the actions. We want to help where we can, and we should. We just need to guard against enabling.

By Rick “Papa” Wilson