"If only all of my bills were paid and my debt was gone, then my life would be so much better." I have heard this and similar phrases like this said many times, and I've said it my fair share of times too. There is no doubt that being debt free is an important and faithful goal to achieve, with financial hardship shackling so many people. Debt relief agencies run commercials nonstop, there are numerous financial counseling programs (both Christian and non-Christian) offering help, people are borrowing more money to pay off other debts that they owe, and the housing market continues to struggle as people can no longer afford to maintain a standard of living that once seemed so easy.
How hard should you try to be debt free? In order to answer that question adequately, you must first determine where you are seeking this relief in the first place.
Many will point to the evil circumstances that lead us into debt, this desire to want more than we can afford which inevitably catches up to us over time. That "2 Years Same As Cash" offer no longer seems like such a good deal three years down the road and the brilliant idea of paying off your credit card balances each month was a great idea - until you realized that you were spending far more than you could possibly make. "One day I will catch up," you tell yourself, only to realize that today is that one day you were planning on and it hasn't gotten any better.
So you write out a list of your debts and put on your game face, determined to eradicate this debt at all costs. You've read the books and done your research, understanding what it will take on paper to be debt free in the next 3-5 years. Now that you have a plan and have cut up all of your credit cards, then the rest is up to you right?
A desire to be debt free can enslave you to money as much if not more than the greed that got you into debt in the first place.
How much does financial freedom cost? If the thought of being debt free consumes you, if you work countless hours and pinch every penny you can so that your bills will become smaller, but you do so on your own initiative alone, then you may one day soon achieve the financial freedom that you crave but at what price? Can't a desire to be debt free enslave you just as much as a desire for wanting more?
In Matthew 19:16-22, Jesus has a conversation with a young man who has been dubbed by most scholars as the "rich young ruler." This young man has many possessions and is also faithful in the ways of Jewish law. To the casual observer, he has it all. The young man wants to know what he can do to inherit eternal life, as if it is something that can be earned. Jesus points out to the man that it's not a matter of what you have or can do that will gain you entrance into the kingdom of God, but rather it depends on what you are willing to give up. This young man was faithful in the ways of the law yet he was unwilling to give up what he treasured most - his wealth - in order to fully surrender to God. He still wanted to cling to what he could do without fully submitting himself to what could be done for Him only by God.
A couple of years ago when I took a step away from full time church ministry, I had someone ask me how I was going to support my family. How I would earn income was a question that my wife and I had discussed many times, and trusted in the doors that God would open up as we faithfully sought after Him. God has reminded me time and again that He will take care of me and my family and He has always done so. In light of this, I responded to my friend that I was not going to provide for my family; God was. He always has and He always will. My hope was to join Him in doing my part.
The key to financial freedom lies in our utter dependence upon God as our sustainer and our provider. While we should have a plan and strive to be financially wise, our first response must be one of total dependence upon God for our everything. If we find ourselves depending upon what we can do to be debt free, then we will discover that our allegiance is still to money and not fully with God. True freedom comes not when our bills are paid. True freedom comes when we are have fully invested our lives in the providence of our great God.
How hard should you try to be debt free? In order to answer that question adequately, you must first determine where you are seeking this relief in the first place.
Many will point to the evil circumstances that lead us into debt, this desire to want more than we can afford which inevitably catches up to us over time. That "2 Years Same As Cash" offer no longer seems like such a good deal three years down the road and the brilliant idea of paying off your credit card balances each month was a great idea - until you realized that you were spending far more than you could possibly make. "One day I will catch up," you tell yourself, only to realize that today is that one day you were planning on and it hasn't gotten any better.
So you write out a list of your debts and put on your game face, determined to eradicate this debt at all costs. You've read the books and done your research, understanding what it will take on paper to be debt free in the next 3-5 years. Now that you have a plan and have cut up all of your credit cards, then the rest is up to you right?
A desire to be debt free can enslave you to money as much if not more than the greed that got you into debt in the first place.
How much does financial freedom cost? If the thought of being debt free consumes you, if you work countless hours and pinch every penny you can so that your bills will become smaller, but you do so on your own initiative alone, then you may one day soon achieve the financial freedom that you crave but at what price? Can't a desire to be debt free enslave you just as much as a desire for wanting more?
In Matthew 19:16-22, Jesus has a conversation with a young man who has been dubbed by most scholars as the "rich young ruler." This young man has many possessions and is also faithful in the ways of Jewish law. To the casual observer, he has it all. The young man wants to know what he can do to inherit eternal life, as if it is something that can be earned. Jesus points out to the man that it's not a matter of what you have or can do that will gain you entrance into the kingdom of God, but rather it depends on what you are willing to give up. This young man was faithful in the ways of the law yet he was unwilling to give up what he treasured most - his wealth - in order to fully surrender to God. He still wanted to cling to what he could do without fully submitting himself to what could be done for Him only by God.
A couple of years ago when I took a step away from full time church ministry, I had someone ask me how I was going to support my family. How I would earn income was a question that my wife and I had discussed many times, and trusted in the doors that God would open up as we faithfully sought after Him. God has reminded me time and again that He will take care of me and my family and He has always done so. In light of this, I responded to my friend that I was not going to provide for my family; God was. He always has and He always will. My hope was to join Him in doing my part.
The key to financial freedom lies in our utter dependence upon God as our sustainer and our provider. While we should have a plan and strive to be financially wise, our first response must be one of total dependence upon God for our everything. If we find ourselves depending upon what we can do to be debt free, then we will discover that our allegiance is still to money and not fully with God. True freedom comes not when our bills are paid. True freedom comes when we are have fully invested our lives in the providence of our great God.
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