The Code: Used People

“. . . who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.” (Psalm 15:5)

The last item on David’s list of character qualities for an unshakable life is this: Don’t use people for your own advantage. Innocent people. Broke people. Desperate people. They’re not meant to be chess pieces on the game boards of our lives to be manipulated to get ourselves ahead.

sand_350I know. Who does that except for rich oil barons and corporate execs and bad movie villains? Well, honestly, we all do it a little, don’t we? You might not make high-interest loans to people who can’t get money at a fair price. (That’s what usury is.) And you might not take a bribe from a corrupt business person to allow needy people to be mistreated. That’s true.

But I’ve seen lots of people make friends with someone hungry for a friend just to get something from them. I’ve seen socially desperate people used and mocked and ignored and avoided because they might bring another person’s status down a notch. That goes against the code. That’s lousy character.

Think: What are other ways you’ve seen desperate people get used or mistreated in everyday life?

Pray: Ask God to help you be a defender of people who are easy to take advantage of.

Do: Think of one lonely or broke or desperate person you could help out today.