By: The Rev. Russell E. J. Martin
It is easy in a world like ours to forget about others. I have seen the man at the intersection begging for money so he can eat. I have driven by thinking to myself, “what if he put this much effort into getting a job?” I am sure I have caused Jesus to wince with thoughts and inaction of this nature. After all, not everyone who begs is truly in need.
I have given groceries away in the inner city before. Once a pastor came to me and begged me to stop. He was convinced that the dry goods I was giving away would be traded for drugs. I wondered how much crack you could get for pasta and rice. Some people do use poverty as a con to support an addiction. So how do you know if someone is scamming you?
You may not know who is for real or not but we must be led by the Holy Spirit. We are not called to be suckers nor are we called to be the police. I am willing to get ripped off for the sake of the Gospel. On several occasions in the Gospels, Jesus is described as being moved with compassion. On an almost daily basis, our Lord was in the presence of thousands of people who were desperately in need. Yet, he normally only ministered to a single one. He was listening to His Father’s directions. One of the best indicators of the Spirit’s leading is that you are somehow moved or touched with compassion for someone in need.
If you doubt your own compassion, you can be sure it is not the enemy. The Adversary has no compassion. It is the flesh? No. The flesh too busy and selfish. But Jesus was and is often moved with compassion. We must be His body and let His compassion flow through us to the least of these.