Bad is Good and Good is Bad

[Believer1997]

We are given opportunities each and every day to act in a Christian way to others. Anyone who treats the least of His people in a hateful way - will be called upon it one day. If you are given a chance to help someone or give them a little hope and love - why would you not?

[~Shalhevet~]

We are given opportunities each and every day to act in a Christian way to others. Anyone who treats the least of His people in a hateful way - will be called upon it one day. If you are given a chance to help someone or give them a little hope and love - why would you not?

Amen!

[jsca777]

We are given opportunities each and every day to act in a Christian way to others. Anyone who treats the least of His people in a hateful way - will be called upon it one day. If you are given a chance to help someone or give them a little hope and love - why would you not?

To treat others in a hateful way-That goes for a lot of christian out there.

[Isaiah 6:8]

ts a sad thing where bad is good and good is bad. This runs deep and on many many fronts that are sometimes not even on the radar. We all do it sometimes and not realize it. My personal one that I fight is the myth that Debt is a good thing, when the Bible makes it clear that its not. But I digress...

The dark is getting darker and the light is lighter.

This thread has turned into a homeless thread so I will comment on that as well. I do not give money to panhandlers, ever. This is why, I believe that you enable them to continue in what is dragging them down. I will however give food, and prayer.

I have a bit of background I have worked on several occasions with homeless, matter of fact we took our youth group down to San Fransisco, on a missions trip to work with them. Many of them are addicted and or mentally challenged. Unfortunately drug abuse appears like mental problems so its near impossible to tell the difference with out seriously spending time with that person. So we love them, pray for them and even feed them, but money does not help. I had one guy ask my wife and I for money. We felt that we should not give him money but instead bought him a small snack from the store, as we did not have a lot on us. On the way out we asked if we could pray for him. He said yes and as we prayed blessings on him he broke down in tears and was really touched. That counted much more then a few bucks would have.

The trick is to be wise as serpents but gentle as doves.

[BFP]

I will never deny the homeless food, clothing, or other things they can use, but I will not give them money. Money just keeps them exactly where they are. Keeping things in your trunk to give them is a great idea!

[Guest LadyC]

believer, what a touching story! yes, your granddaughter was like an angel to that man! what a blessing!

artsy, a target of what? well, i'll explain that, and tell you that he and our associate pastor both were adamant about it, having spent time working directly on the streets themselves... but i'll also say that i don't agree with them and never felt that i was putting myself in harm's way.

this city is rife with homeless people... and not all of them are appreciative of what is freely given. people often think of the homeless as autonomous individuals but it's really a community... and like any community, word spreads quickly when someone shows compassion.

the homeless people i knew i never felt any threat from, and don't believe for a moment they would ever bring harm to me. but, for every one that i knew, there were 20 others who know who i am... what i look like, what i drive, and quite possibly where i live. or at least where i lived at the time, because they often salvaged what they could from the dumpster right outside my apartment door.

many of these people are desperate, others are high, or drunk, or angry with the world... and sometimes in situations like that, it is better to remain unknown to them.

i did one time almost make a big mistake. i believe God put his hand out and stopped it from happening. i had invited one homeless girl (who i frequently talked to) to come over and take a shower while i washed her clothing. i had an appointment, but was going to take her home with me as soon as i was done. my appointment was nothing important... it was at the tanning salon LOL. but i spent the next 20 minutes in that tanning bed praying. i felt a huge weight on me that i had just set myself up and put myself in danger, and that God was trying to warn me. so i was praying that God would get me out of it.

when i finished tanning and went outside, i saw the girl. her boyfriend was a short distance away, and she told me she had changed her mind, and would not be coming home with me after all.

i do believe that was God's intervention in what could have been really bad.

[jsca777]

ts a sad thing where bad is good and good is bad. This runs deep and on many many fronts that are sometimes not even on the radar. We all do it sometimes and not realize it. My personal one that I fight is the myth that Debt is a good thing, when the Bible makes it clear that its not. But I digress...

The dark is getting darker and the light is lighter.

You are right! This world has gotten so spiritually dark that blatant evil is accepted asmainstream society. Movies, TV shows, video games and the music industry has gotten deplorable in this day and age and it's considered normal. When I was growing up, musicians that were blatantly satanic were not accepted by many and video games were not full and graphic images of evil. You could watch TV without seeing a ton of perversion.

[jsca777]

I will never deny the homeless food, clothing, or other things they can use, but I will not give them money. Money just keeps them exactly where they are. Keeping things in your trunk to give them is a great idea!

Since most of those who panhandle use it for drugs or alcohol, I too don't give them money. There has been times when offering them food, they refused.

[Believer1997]

We are given opportunities each and every day to act in a Christian way to others. Anyone who treats the least of His people in a hateful way - will be called upon it one day. If you are given a chance to help someone or give them a little hope and love - why would you not?

To treat others in a hateful way-That goes for a lot of christian out there.

I know you have stated repeatedly about your experiences with 'hateful Christians", but I think they are more the exception than the rule. If so many are hateful and contrary to you - you must take a close look at how you manage encounters with them.

[BFP]

believer, what a touching story! yes, your granddaughter was like an angel to that man! what a blessing!

artsy, a target of what? well, i'll explain that, and tell you that he and our associate pastor both were adamant about it, having spent time working directly on the streets themselves... but i'll also say that i don't agree with them and never felt that i was putting myself in harm's way.

this city is rife with homeless people... and not all of them are appreciative of what is freely given. people often think of the homeless as autonomous individuals but it's really a community... and like any community, word spreads quickly when someone shows compassion.

the homeless people i knew i never felt any threat from, and don't believe for a moment they would ever bring harm to me. but, for every one that i knew, there were 20 others who know who i am... what i look like, what i drive, and quite possibly where i live. or at least where i lived at the time, because they often salvaged what they could from the dumpster right outside my apartment door.

many of these people are desperate, others are high, or drunk, or angry with the world... and sometimes in situations like that, it is better to remain unknown to them.

i did one time almost make a big mistake. i believe God put his hand out and stopped it from happening. i had invited one homeless girl (who i frequently talked to) to come over and take a shower while i washed her clothing. i had an appointment, but was going to take her home with me as soon as i was done. my appointment was nothing important... it was at the tanning salon LOL. but i spent the next 20 minutes in that tanning bed praying. i felt a huge weight on me that i had just set myself up and put myself in danger, and that God was trying to warn me. so i was praying that God would get me out of it.

when i finished tanning and went outside, i saw the girl. her boyfriend was a short distance away, and she told me she had changed her mind, and would not be coming home with me after all.

i do believe that was God's intervention in what could have been really bad.

I honestly would never invite them to my home...firstly they carry all kinds of disease...you really don't want them using your shower! It is good that God saved you from that position you put yourself in! It could have been disasterous. Living on the streets is not a pretty thing, but we have to keep in mind that most of them made choices that put them there. It is a community of sorts, it's actually a way of life. They obviously aren't in a hurry to leave that lifestyle. My son (23 yr old) has been homeless since he was 16...choices put him there, drug addictions, sex addictions and other issues keep him there. When he comes home (which is very rare) I bleach everything after he leaves, throw out the soap...you know...I could tell you alot of stories about the homeless...love them, yes...help them in areas that you can, yes...but don't get too involved on a personal level.