Buy Now - Pay Forever
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." Proverbs 22:7 (NIV)
"Uh oh! Our no payments for six months big screen TV bill just came," he calls from the mailbox.
"No problem. Just pay the minimum," she responds, handing him the checkbook.
"Yeah, but after we make all our payments we won t have enough left to live on."
"OK. We ll just charge the groceries. Then we ll have money left over."
Sound familiar? Easy credit is deceptive. Time payments can spell real trouble. If we just pay the minimum, it can take almost 50 years to clear off a $5000 debt. Even juggling our burdens with creative financing doesn t help. We re trapped.
How have we fallen into this snare? We may be facing a genuine need. But often the problem lies within us. Perhaps we re seeking status. Or maybe our instant gratification culture has us by the throat. Either way, we re in chains.
Consider this. We become slaves to debt when we take on obligations greater than what we can pay. Now a slave must serve the master. But no one can serve two masters. So if we re slaves to debt, we aren t free to serve God. We re separated from the true provider.
It s time to stop and think. Are we incurring debt to finance possessions that bring glory to God - or glory to ourselves? Are we exchanging our financial ability to serve him for a momentary indulgence? What a terrible price to pay for our instant pleasure.
Becoming debt free usually requires pain and sacrifice. Here are some suggestions to break out of bondage:
" Admit that you ve mishandled your finances. It s time to change.
" Make a debt reduction plan and stick to it. No excuses.
" Turn your checkbook over to God. He s a great accountant.
God created money to be spent for his purposes. But if you must use it all to pay off a debt, you ve stopped putting him first. Are you ready to start serving God instead of the credit card company? Break out of debtor s prison today.
Touching Lives and
Transforming Hearts
Our Living for God Blog is attracting readers and generating comments. In fact, we re thrilled that there were 188 article views in the first five days of January alone. We re building a blogging community of ordinary people committed to growing in Christ-likeness.
What do we write about on the blog? Well, we re sharing our own spiritual journeys with entries like "Wilt Thou Refuse?" by Lisa and "Tears of Silver" by Calvin. We write about the books, songs, and experiences that are shaping us in Christ.
And we ve gotten a wonderful response to our online dialogue. Here is just a sampling of our reader comments:
"Good explanation of Simple Faith. " Anonymous
"To give with a Christ-like heart is a wonderful thing." Jim
"Great post and blog. I appreciate your laying the truth out in a relevant and real way." Pastor Rob Singleton
"Good to have come across this blog. We want the real Jesus!" Sidharth
"Your witness invites us to follow Jesus into a holy silence of mystery and revelation." Howard
Have you experienced the Living for God Blog yet? You can meet us there right now at http://blog.livingforgod.net/!
Invest in Heavenly Treasures
Are you investing in heavenly treasures or are you busy storing up stuff here on earth? Many of us have so much stuff and we re still looking for more. But the prophet asks, "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?"
Our culture sells the prosperity gospel and says we "deserve it." So we buy and buy, even at a hopeless level of debt. But the Proverbs tells us, "Buy the truth and do not sell it. Get wisdom, discipline and understanding."
Our Living for God message says, "Seek the kingdom of God first and you will find what you really need." Our challenging messages and formative spiritual disciplines always point to Jesus. Where do you want to put your money and spend your labor?
Why not invest in heavenly treasure with a financial gift to Living for God? Your donation will point many to the life changing wisdom of Jesus Christ. Partner with us today, either by mailing your gift or by donating through out website.
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