"Justice also respects the responsibility
of the needy person. Justice says that a person who chooses to be poor should
be allowed to have what he chooses. Nor will justice allow us - for loves sake
- to assume responsibility for other people's mistakes. If my neighbor goes
deeply into debt for luxuries he bought with his credit card, and then
habitually expects me to pay his heating bill, justice holds back the hand of
love. If my neighbors business is on the verge of ruin because he is incompetent
and lazy, justice may require love to let his business fail, and then help him
find another line of work." - Lewis Smedes, Mere Morality - What God Expects
From Ordinary People
