In my youth I borrowed $1000 dollars from a finance company. I paid my installments by the monthly due date as stipulated. A few days later a very official letter would arrive telling me that failure to pay had serious legal ramifications. It scared my 17 year old personage half to death. Following line upon line of legal jargon, right at the end of the depressing missive, I read a statement which read: “If payment has been made, please ignore this correspondence.”
Do preachers preach on debt these days? For many, debt is like a hole in a tooth—something to be worried about when you can’t stand it anymore. I hope I’m not the only one here who has noticed a sea change taking place in our world. Unusual days are upon this generation. Wisdom advises that you turn to scripture for that much neglected financial advice. Here’s a Biblical warning that we ignore to our peril: “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave” (Pro.22:7). Welcome to the kingdom of the Debt Slaves.
Here’s a few tips to begin buying your freedom:
1. Put God in charge of your money. Seek His wisdom on how money is to be used as a valuable tool (not the master) in your daily life.
2. Start plugging holes. A strict accounting of every cent will show the leaks quickly.
3. Go to the mirror and practice saying: “I don’t have money for that!” Say it at least 10 times. Thus, the next time you are tempted to shell out money for a non-essential (especially to every family member who wants your money), you will be ready with your new war cry: “Do you want me to stay a slave, forever?”—May God give you the strength.
4. YouTube has a million videos on ‘How to save money,’ find them and become an expert.
5. Initially, it might be fun, but it will get depressing. Getting into debt was easy, getting out of it will be hard. You are literally playing ‘catch-up.’
6. Jesus says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (Lk.16:10a).
Our goal is to be entrusted with those ‘true riches.’ So, first we must clear away all signs of being untrustworthy with worldly wealth—that includes debt. I’ll leave you with the chorus of the song from which I took my title: “You load sixteen tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go. I owe my soul to the company store.”
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