Wednesday, November 26, 2008

We Owe, We Owe, It's Off to Work We Go!

I am so grateful that my husband and I both hate being in debt.   This doesn't mean that we never were in debt, only that we hated going against the Scriptural admonitions that borrowers serve the lender (Prov 22.7), we were to owe no man any thing but to love one another (Romans 13.8), and that He desired us to be content with little (1 Tim 6.8), letting our moderation be known to all (Phil 4.5).   

When we borrowed money for each house, we made sure our monthly payments didn't strap us. We moved seven times, each time paying our house off, and then moving up.  As soon as we signed mortage papers, we lived simply and hung little signs in our closets with $500, $100, $50, $10, and $5 to equal the amount we owed the bank, and we would keep prepaying our principal and pulling the amounts off the wall until we were paid off.  

This methodology seems lost today.  People seem to not even care that they owe so much money.  Too many people are not interested in paying off their loans right away.  I am shocked at people taking trips and spending money on things they don't need and yet they owe hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in loans.  I have spoken to people who are deluded into believing that they are so far into debt they might as well just keep spending money because they'll never pay off their loans anyways!  

Live modestly and free of debts.  That is God's best for you.  If you are in debt, stop spending money on anything that is not a necessity, sell things you can get rid of, even work an extra job if possible, until your debts are paid off.  Then you are free.

“Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you norgive you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake norlet [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]”  (Heb 13:5 AMP)

“...the borrower is servant to the lender.”  (Prov 22:7 AMP)

Challenge:  Have a heart and will and disciplined living to pay off all your loans and live debt free as God intended you to live.  Brainstorm with your spouse and agree on ways to get out of debt.  

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