Christians are debt free in the spiritual world - why are we in debt in the natural world? In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus prayed, “...Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Is there any debt in Heaven? This is another teaching in itself, but Jesus is saying we have the authority and the power to do things on earth just like it is in heaven. More teaching on that at a later time.
We live in a world that is not our home. This is only a temporary residence while we wait for our eternal home. In this natural world, we are forced to function by the world's system in order to survive. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve sin and our lower nature cause a constant war against us. The devil uses our flesh and our weaknesses to cause trouble.
Jesus paid the price by the shedding of his blood and now we are debt free from the law of sin and death. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you believe that when you die that you will live with him forever in heaven then you are indeed debt free from this world. You will live in heaven where there will not be any tears or sorrow. There will not be any bills to pay. You will not have to worry whether you will have enough money to make the house note or food to feed the family. You will not have to worry whether you will keep your job or not. Doesn't that sound great? I can't wait for that day.
Jesus knew that we would have struggles and struggles are not all bad for us. They can actually help us mature and build strong character. But, just as we will be debt free in heaven I think that Jesus intended for us to be debt free while we are here on this earth. Struggling with debt is not the struggle of life that is good for our character unless we learn from the experience and vow never to get into that bondage again.
What causes us to allow ourselves to get into debt so easily? Larry Burkett said that there are three personality traits that lead to debt:
1. Ignorance - lack of training and lack of knowledge
2. Indulgence - impulse buying, and get-rich-quick schemes all have the same root cause: greed.
3. Poor Planning - the symptom is debt - the real problem is planning.
What is wrong with debt if you are able to make all of your payments on time? The debtor is in servitude to the lender. In Biblical times the debtors were subject to being imprisoned, slavery, and everything that the debtor owned could be confiscated if they couldn't repay.
Why were the laws so harsh back then? This was to keep people from going into debt in the first place. Modern society has changed its attitude about debt and actually encourages it. Borrowing is less risky and more credit is to easy to get therefore it has encouraged us to indulge in sensual, worldly pleasures.
We are bombarded with commercials on TV, radio, in newspapers, and in magazines with advertisements trying to get us to buy their products. These slick marketing campaigns seduce mass audiences of especially children who in turn ask their parents to buy their products. Infomercials seduce us into buying the latest health equipment and get-rich schemes.
Can you remember that just 35 years ago families ate almost all their meals together at home instead of in restaurants? Can you remember the TV commercial that changed all of that? "You deserve a break today so go out and get away to Mcdonald's." Mcdonald's is still the number one place that kids want to go to today. A lot of other fast food restaurants saw this success and followed suit so therefore we have fast food chains everywhere. Even Russia and China!
What is so bad about eating out? There is nothing wrong with eating out. With the hectic lifestyles that we live now, there isn't time to prepare good wholesome meals at home like there used to be. Eating out so much has caused many family problems. First, I believe that families that eat on the run don't eat together as much. And second I suspect that the nutritional value has dropped and the calories have increased. We've got more overweight young people in this country than anywhere in the world.
Because buying power of the dollar started decreasing in the late sixties and early seventies a single income no longer was enough to support a family. Mom had to join the workforce to help support the family. This second income helped also seduce many families into the indulgence of things. We became a nation of credit and debt instead of a nation of savers. We believed in the American Dream and we believed that we should have everything that we wanted. We believe that all we had to do was just say, "Charge it." We became a nation that lived beyond our means to satisfy our lust for things. Debt became a normal way of life.
Debt is not normal. Because we have not been able to control our lust for things financial problems have caused a breakdown in so many families that divorce has become common. Many young people that marry today do not take marriage seriously and never plan on staying married for ten years. Debt causes serious stress in the marriage and also the relationship between parents and children. The rate of child abuse has sky rocked. When I was growing up in the '50s and 60s I had never heard of child abuse. I became a foster parent in the late 70s and I just couldn't believe that grown up's could do these horrible things to children much less their own children. Bankruptcy is no longer looked down upon. It is accepted as a quick-fix option with little or no regard to our responsibility to repay our debts.
There are instances where divorce is necessary to protect an abused wife and even bankruptcy may be necessary but the point is that evil has entered the heart of man and caused sin. Satan has deceived this nation. He has tricked us into believing a lie. He has tricked us in the pursuit of material things. He has destroyed families. He has destroyed our values. We have become a nation that accepts abortion as an option for sin. Bankruptcy is an option for sin. A divorce is an option for sin.
This course can help you manage your money. I recommend that you set up a private counseling session with one of the counselors from Crown Financial Ministries - http://www.crown.org/ - they can outline a plan that will help you work your way out of debt. But the financial problems you have are really symptoms of greater problems that exist. So unless you deal with the root problems, the symptoms will always return. Unless you and your spouse make a firm commitment to breaking the cycle of the root problem the debt will never go away.
While writing this chapter I became very angry. I became angry at myself because I realize how the divorce and bankruptcy that I went through were so unnecessary. I realize that I allowed Satan to run over me and steal everything that I once had. I am mad at myself that I didn't take a stand and fight. I am also mad that I wasn't committed to tithing and saving throughout my years as I am now.
I am very thankful that God has seen me through those bad times and has given me a wonderful wife and has prospered me with more material things than I ever had before. The material things are nice but I want to build my treasures in heaven. That's where I will enjoy my treasures the longest.
God wants us to be debt free while we are on this earth. We did not get into debt overnight and we will not get out overnight. Write down all of your debtors, the balances, and the monthly payments. Develop a plan to pay off those debts. Become self-disciplined and stick to that plan until you become debt free.
No comments:
Post a Comment