Money, God's Way

I recently caught the modern version of the game Family Feud. I had no idea the show was still on but certainly remember its early years with Richard Dawson and his tree of Tootsie Pops. They have a new host now, different stage set but the show itself remains the same. What grabbed my attention was not the missing Tootsie Pop tree but rather the category the players were answering.

The host asked, “What do you do when your credit card is maxed out?” With lightening speed a player slapped down the buzzer and answered, “Use another one”. To enthusiastic chants of, “Good answer, good answer”, everyone turned to face the board to see if the answer was indeed there. It was. And, it was the number one answer.  The round continued and the other answers given were, “Open a new credit card account”, “File for bankruptcy” and “Get a loan”. At the end of the round one answer remained on the board prompting the host to ask for a “Show us the answer”. The remaining, ungiven response was “Use cash”.

And there it was, a crystal clear picture of what most of America believes about money, credit and financial management. If you want it, get it. If it goes through on the card, you can afford it. Is this why no one seems particularly dismayed that our national debt is trillions of dollars? Or that most little girl’s toy purses come with pretend credit cards rather than pretend cash?  Or that the average family in America has over $18,000 in debt, NOT including their mortgage.

What we don’t hear people talking about is consumer debt from a spiritual perspective. The trouble with credit card debt is that you are living in a pattern of paying for the past. Being enslaved to anything in our past is not God’s best for us. He has given us freedom in every aspect of our lives. Why would we tie up our earthly treasure in a manner that puts us in bondage if Christ gave His all so that we would not be enslaved to anything? The bible speaks plainly when it refers to signing for a debt as equivalent to being in a hunters trap (Proverbs 6:1-5).  And Proverbs 22:7 says “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender” (NKJV). Now, I don’t think that God has a problem with big houses, nice cars or pretty shoes. What I think He has a problem with is us becoming hampered by anything that keeps us from the promises of His word and therefore not as close to Him.

Let’s make a decision that as Christians we will be the financial role-models for this nation. That we will shake off the chains of debt and follow the financial principles of the bible so that we can experience the wholeness of God’s plan for us. By building a firm financial foundation for our own families we can then be able to reach out and do for others in unprecedented ways. 

—Tricia K. Lee

Tricia is grateful mommy and blessed wife. She is an author and speaker with a passion for helping women heal, especially those battling through infertility. You can visit her at www.TriciaLeeINK.com