Is It Obvious?

The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. (I Timothy 5:24-25)

 

          How do you know the difference between what is good and what is evil? Paul says that some things that are sinful (or evil) are obvious, and some things that are good are obvious. I’ve heard “…as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.” I’ve shared before that groups have sent clothing and eggs to poor areas of the world meaning to do good, but destroying local businesses. Every year, the U.S. spends more than $150 billion for assistance programs for the poor. There are 328 billion people in the U.S. That means that we are doing a little under half a billion dollars in “good” for each person in the U.S. Most of that money is used for the benefit of the poorest half of the population, which means that the poor receive between three quarters of a billion dollars and a billion dollars in assistance per year. Imagine this. We could eliminate poverty and cut taxes if we simply handed out one million dollars to every American every year, except, of course, the money would often not be used well. People are people and many of them would own nice things but not be able to afford to feed their families. 

          The poor do not get that much. That’s how much is spent on programs for the poor. That money is spent to pay for buildings, employees, computers, equipment, supplies, etc., all meant to make it possible for people to provide the help that the poor need. Our nation is very active in the business of doing good for others but are we them good? The schools in the city of Erie are horrifically under-funded. If you were handed a million dollars every January 1, do you think you’d be willing to pay your children’s tuition? 

          The sins of some men are obvious. So is the good of some men. Other times, the sins and good trail behind. I think some people are so caught up in the good that they are doing that they don’t pay attention to whether that good does any good for the people who receive it. Perhaps it’s time to start asking whether we are doing as much good as we like to assume.