Proverbs 28:3 NKJV

[3] A poor man who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain which leaves no food.

When I graduated high school, I went right into college and started working part-time for my dad. I had always taken an interest in doing what he did, but working for him gave me more insight into the inner workings of the business. I wrote invoices and kept up with who had and who hadn't paid.

One particular family )who loved to give the appearance of relative wealth) always managed to keep an outstanding balance. They would have work done, then not pay their bill until something else broke down. It was a pattern dad didn't seem to mind... but it bothered me to my core. I got paid every Friday even if the invoices hadn't been cleared.

I got an opportunity to do some repairs for them. I called to schedule a time to pick up. Like clockwork, the wife drops the husband off at the end of the driveway. As he was walking up, he patted his pockets and said she had driven off with the checkbook. Much to his surprise, I offered him a ride home and an opportunity to pick up the vehicle when he had his checkbook. He got angry. Dad laughed. It was the last time we did work for them... and the last time I watch my dad sit on an unpaid invoice because they didn't want to pay.

I learned from that experience that everyone isn't on "our" team. The enemy doesn't show up looking like the devil. They sometimes come in the form of well-known people who act like they are better than you. I believe we can love our enemy and stand firm on what is right. God calls us to live sacrificially, but not on the enemy's behalf when our family pays the price.