Daily Devotional – 3/26/12 “Quit crying wolf!”

Have you heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? He was sent to watch over the sheep and if he seen a wolf, he was supposed to cry out in order for the villagers to run out to save their sheep, which was their livelihood. One day he was bored and decided to cry wolf so that he could get a laugh out of seeing the folks running to his rescue and the rescue of the sheep. Well, after a few times of this the folks in the village were tired of his games and the next time he cried wolf, no one came to his rescue and him and the sheep were killed. Why would a person continue to cry out for help when help really isn’t needed? Is it because they find joy in seeing folk run to their rescue? Don’t you know that if you lie long enough sooner or later, lying is all you know? This is true but it’s so sad. Why would you want to wish a sickness over your life by lying about being sick? You want folk to have pity on you so you lie about having this or that until cancer actually attacks your body and now, no one believes you. Why would you want to speak death in your family by lying about one? Your grandma has died so many times that now the folks on your job are requesting an obituary, with your name in it, before they will even pay you bereavement. Why would you want to speak a financial lost in your household by constantly crying broke? You’re always the one begging for money, always the one begging for food and always the one without gas in the car every time someone ask you to drive, yet you always got a new pair of shoes on with the matching shirt and hair do. Baby, folks aren’t fooled by you anymore and then when you really need something or someone, no one will be willing to offer you a helping hand because you’ve cried wolf for so long. Stop lying all the time because lying make folk dislike you. You always got a sad story posted on Facebook because you want folk to feel sorry for you but why don’t you get up off your sorry and do something? You want folk to feel bad because you didn’t have the money to join them at girl’s night but you could get up and get a job because they are tired of always having to skip an appetizer to pay for your meal. You always got a sad story about your lights being off, kids need this for school, car quit on you or you’re going through a lot but baby help yourself sometime. For 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says “While we were with you, we gave you the order: “Whoever doesn’t want to work shouldn’t be allowed to eat.”

You call into your job on Monday to let them know that your son is sick in the hospital and the doctors are running all kinds of test. You don’t know how long you all will be there or what’s wrong with him but he’s really sick and you end the call by asking them to “Please keep us in your prayers.” They, being the kindhearted folks they are, take up a collection for you so that you’ll have a little extra money for the hospital food, they send you a blanket along with books and magazines to keep you occupied and they even send a few items for your son, you know to help him get through. Now, you’ve been off work 2 weeks but you’ve kept everybody updated with your son’s progress. Then one Sunday morning, one of your co-workers just happens to be out eating at Perkins when they see you and your son, who by the way is looking very healthy. How can you explain that? Oh, let me see a miraculous recovery, right? Now, everyone at your job is disappointed in the choice you made because you could have just asked for time off, help or whatever you needed instead of resorting to such low measures. The bible says in Luke 8:17 says, “For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” Now, 6 months later your son is really sick because you spoke this over his life with the lies you were telling but guess what, no one believes you now and they surely aren’t coming to your aid this time which happens to be the time you really need someone all because you kept crying wolf!

Haven’t you realized, whether you believe this or not, there will be a time when you will need someone? So stop wearing folks out with all the lies because when you really truly need the help, no one would come. Proverbs 19:9 says, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed.” If you find pleasure in using folk, God finds no pleasure in using you. If you find joy in lying to folk, God finds no joy in lying with you. Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” Why is it so easy for you to lie? Don’t you know that if you’ve been labeled a liar, folks no longer answer your calls because they are tired of listening to your farfetched stories and the time you really need someone to come to your rescue, you won’t reach one person. You’ve cried wolf so many times about needing help from this or that, that when the time really comes for someone to rescue you from a bad situation, no one will be there. If every time you call me to ask for a little help in feeding the kids and each time I see you out at Applebee’s eating with your boo-thang, there is no way I’ll continue to help you and the time the kids are really in need of food there won’t be any. Stop crying wolf just because you know folks will come running to your aid because after too many false alarms, no one will come when the real danger presents itself because they will be too tired from running all the other times. It’s just like a pregnant woman running to the hospital every 2 days thinking she’s in labor. Yea, the first few times folk will drop everything they are doing to rush you there but after the 3rd or 4th time, baby they’ll have you waiting all evening because they already think it’s just another false alarm. Genuine help comes from genuine folks but if they feel like they are being taken advantage of, the help stops and it usually stops when you need it the most. If you are in need of help, ask and in your asking you’ll receive all that you are supposed to receive. Why, because God works that way. He knows what your needs are before you even ask and he uses regular folks like you and I to help. You don’t have to keep praying for the same thing over and over because he knows. Matthew 6:7-8 says, “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Don’t keep using folk because you seem to be getting over on them because you surely can’t get over on God. Yea, you might be used to beating the system but God can’t be beat. Don’t keep crying wolf when you know you don’t see one because when one actually shows up, you are as good as eaten because you won’t have anyone around to help you.