The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.
Psalms 37:21 NLT
What an amplifying companionship these two would have in direct contact with each other, right?
A generous giver and one who takes and never repays…
When looking at this single verse by itself, standing on its own, can we see the opportunity for enabling, for manipulation, for codependent behavior with each fulfilling the desire of the other — in a frenzied, reverberating, growing crescendo until this symbiotic relationship reaches critical mass and blows up?
So we can probably agree that emotional manipulation is abuse, and is wrong, and that God knows and sees exactly what is going on in the hearts of an abusers.
But even as the wicked becomes more wicked, what is happening to the generous godly giver?
Only meeting needs or expectations is NOT generosity. No, let’s look at the definition — “showing a readiness to give more of something… than is strictly necessary or expected“.
Hmm… I wonder if there is a wise teacher who could give us some clarity on this issue:
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48 NLT
Someone will inevitably say, “Now that just sounds unjust and foolish!”
And we can cover that as well.
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:18-21 NLT
But answer me this — if we stand at the great judgement and men want to call me a hypocrite or unloving or anything other than Child of God, and we see that these accusers stand against me saying “To the pit! Burn him!” and such, based on many complaints found in the law and the evidence of my life’s actions, words and thoughts testifying either for or against me. And it comes my turn, and I could remind these evil, wicked men of the debts they never repaid me and I could call for the same death and punishment for them — or I could say, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
Knowing that God can see my heart behind saying such a bold thing, could I say it truthfully — as opposed to from a stance of “look at me, I’m going to say what Jesus said to prove I’m better than you!” Because saying such words that came from His mouth from a hard heart and an unclean mouth, who can survive such things done in the presence of God?
What is the position you will take?
Proud judge and reasoner of the law?
Or humble, rightly accused, sinner saved by the grace of God — who is hungry for righteousness, willing to die to self, willing to forgive even his debtors, willing to love even his enemies — not because you are good enough to pull all of that off by yourself — but because you are born again in Christ and it is He that lives in you?
Harold J. Ballinger 