"Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it." Proverbs 3:27 (KJV)
I think this verse says it all, but I'm going to try and speak on it here. Let's say you're the manager of a store, and one of your employees who has worked very hard deserves a raise... But someone else who is your friend, who hasn't worked as hard also wants a raise. For some reason you can only give it to one of them. If you want to be blessed in your job, if you want to do the right thing before God then you give the raise to the deserving person. The person who worked harder to get it should get it. The problem with so many places of employment these days is that the hardest workers are the least paid. You go into a store and guess who's getting paid the most? The guy who hates his job the most, while the person who loves their job and does it right is at the bottom of the food chain. And we wonder why it's so hard to get good service?
That's just one example of a good thing that we should give to whom it is due. There are many examples, if you visit a church and the pastor is a great teacher then when it's time to give to that church then you should give. You should show your appreciation, because if nobody appreciates that teacher then he might feel unappreciated. He might even give up (not likely if he's strong in the Lord,) but it could happen. All because he didn't get the good due unto him. Sometimes all that is due is a kind word, yet many of us find that so hard to give. Why? What's wrong with going out of your way to say something kind when it's due and well deserved? I remember many times before we started this forum here, where I was running just GodsLovingKindness.com and we were getting a good amount of visitors. Nobody was commenting or anything. I felt very unappreciated, but I kept going because I knew the Lord appreciated me. However, one thing that kept me going is the few that came and gave me encouragement. They made a difference, you can make a difference in your corner of the world too. Many a times the only encouragement I had to do a devotion was our friend Lori here. She was always encouraging and always responded with either correction or kind words. I am very thankful for this forum because now I feel like more people are coming and this is what I always wanted: A community of believers who support each other.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins as we forgive all those who've sinned against us. Help us to give what is due to those to whom it is due when it's in our power to give it. Humble us and give us the love to do what we must do. In Jesus name. A-men!
