For the past few weeks I have been sharing about money. From the danger it poses in consuming our thoughts, to tithing, and yesterday, debt. Certainly, this is not exhaustive list of topics regarding money, as there are over 800 verses in the Bible regarding money, but these are definitely topics that impact us all.
Often we hear about how the tithe or the giving of 10% of our income. Additionally, we hear about giving to missions, building funds, and various other things. Those topics and others are very important and have their places. However, the focus yesterday was not so much about what God calls us to give away, but how to protect what we have, how to protect the 90%. Specifically, the instruction or the warning, to avoid debt.
We have been duped into thinking that debt is okay. We have been told that we will always have debt and it’s best just to learn how to manage it or control it. The thing is, debt is not to be controlled, scripture says it’s to be avoided. Saying that we should learn to live with debt by controlling it is almost like saying we don’t have to avoid sin, just control when we do it.
Proverbs tells us in chapter 22:7 – “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave to the lender.” When we find ourselves in debt, it really is a bondage or slavery situation. Debt will prevent us from doing we want to do and even prevent us from being able to do what God wants us to do. Debt will dictate what we can do or can’t do.
We are told that for certain things we will always have debt. You can’t buy a house without going into debt. You can’t buy a car without going into debt. You can’t have this or that, etc., etc., etc. We have been convinced somehow that what was written in Proverbs and in much of scripture about debt is no longer true. That somehow we aren’t slaves when we are in debt. The truth of the matter is that we don’t want to wait until we have enough money saved to purchase those things without taking on debt.
The allure of going into debt has somehow become acceptable. The allure of being $100,000.00 or $200,000.00 or $300,000.00 or more in debt for a home is acceptable because it shows we have arrived. How is that being in debt shows arrival? The allure of driving a car that puts us $20,000.00, $30,000.00 $50,000.00 or more in debt somehow shows that we have made it. We have made it alright, and the “it” is a big hole of debt, and we drive that debt around with pride.
We somehow have started thinking that being a slave to a lender is not only acceptable but have almost made it a goal in life. We somehow have come to believe that we are not really slaves.
Jesus, in speaking about the danger that money can have in our lives, said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
It becomes interesting when we couple the words in Proverbs 22:7 and the words in Matthew 6:24 together. It would seem that when we allow ourselves to go into debt we begin to avail ourselves to another master, something that Jesus said we can’t do and remain 100% committed to God.
I am not saying that debt causes us to lose our salvation. But it certainly does compromise our ability to live in 100% devotion and commitment to God. For example, we will say that if God calls us to move around the world, we would. However, we just can’t simply pick up and leave without selling our homes, or cars, or perhaps other things because we actually don’t own them. We are paying for them, the debt or the payments have our first commitment. We then might say, as we struggle to sell our homes or cars that God will make a way. We will have our friends and families pray for the sales. I am not saying that this is not what should happen, but….
Let’s describe a different scenario. We have our homes, our cars and other things and God calls us around the world. However, in this scenario, we chose to not to go into debt with those purchases. We actually paid for them. We actually bought them. We really own them. So, we can still sell our homes, our cars or whatever else, but we are not dependent on them to be obedient to God. If they don’t sell for 6 months or 6 years, it is not a huge deal, because we are not a ‘”slave” to the finance or mortgage company, we own them, and if God calls us to abandon them, we actually can.
In the second scenario we can have obedience without obstacle. Our devotion is not dependent on God striking down our other master(s). Now, I want to express here that God does often move in ways where things do sell and we are released, but perhaps that is better expressed as God’s grace in our lives over the situation we have found ourselves in, rather than His approval about our indebtedness.
So, what do we do? If we are in debt, what can be done? When we give our lives over to Jesus we don’t automatically become perfect, but we allow the Holy Spirit to mold and shape us and convict and correct us. We grow and mature along the way. We make mistakes and repent and move on. Scripture tells us that we certainly don’t have permission to sin, but if we do, we have forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (1 John 2:1-2).
In a similar way Scripture tells us what do should we find ourselves in debt. Again, in Proverbs 6:1-5, we read:
1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
Paul, in Romans 13:6-8 tells us:
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another…”
Scripture tells to avoid debt and if we have it, pay it off. In fact the Proverb is very specific to tell us to get rid of the debt as quickly as possible. We are encouraged to not even let sleep hold us back in getting rid of it. We are told to be like a gazelle or a bird fleeing for their very life.
It’s one thing to simply say, get out of debt and another to do it. Often we get in debt because we simply don’t know how to handle money because we were never taught how to do so. Other times, our debt hole is so big that we don’t know where to start. I am not a financial expert. Thank God, we don’t need to be financial experts to simply commit to only purchase things with cash. We don’t have to be experts to live within our means. We don’t need to be experts to write down our income and expenses and make a plan on where every penny goes. It’s not rocket science, but it is discipline.
There are financial experts who can help us create the most proper and quickest way to get out of debt. As I said on Sunday, we are starting another round of Financial Peace University classes by Dave Ramsey. My wife and I have been fleeing like a gazelle and bird for a little bit of time time now. We won’t stop until we are totally free. Dave’s teachings and resources have been huge in helping us.
I can’t recommend enough going through this class. I want to be totally free from the trappings of debt. I want those around me to be totally free from the trappings of debt. If you are in debt of any kind and you don’t have a working plan to get out of debt, take a look at Financial Peace University or something similar. Get help. Run away from debt like a gazelle running for it’s life.
There is one last thing that being debt free enables us to do. When we don’t have debt to worry about, I believe that we can experience what Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 9:7. He tells us we should give what we have decided to give in our hearts and enjoy doing so because God loves a cheerful giver. The easiest way that I can think of being a cheerful giver is when we can give without worry and have total trust in God. Without debt, there is cheer in giving because there is no worry. In addition to having no worry, there is a total trust in God’s provision because we have chosen to live according to God’s plan for our money. There is always joy and provision in doing things God’s way.
As followers of Christ, Paul reminds us that the only debt we should have is the debt of love. What debt do you have? If you have financial debts, what are your plans to flee? Should you desire, I encourage you to leave your thoughts, comments or questions below.
Filed under: General Life Tagged: | Debt, Money, Sunday Message, Two Masters
