Neither A Lender Nor Borrower Be

John 13:34-35  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The Bible doesn’t leave much room for doubt concerning God’s opinion regarding debts. Romans 13:8 gives sage advice about owing no one anything except for loving one another, because when we do we have fulfilled the law. And Proverbs 22:7 states that the rich rule the poor and that the borrower is servant to the lender.

As a nation, the USA most assuredly have ignored these rules and Words from God. The economy seems to reflect and bode ill will towards Americans in that so many families are struggling just to make ends meet. Many are on the brink of bankruptcy, and countless others are homeless searching for means to survive. The price for indebtedness can be high indeed, one just has to glance around to see that is true.

The widow of the prophet Elisa, who cried, “your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, and yet the creditors come to take my two sons (2 Kings 4:1). She was left in debt and it’s a desperate place to be.

The number of people who are subject to the promoters of offering “loans” are merely a pawn in their avaricious gains. Yes, some loans are necessary, a home mortgage is one that will more than likely incur rewards. Ostensibly credit card debt is something that is suffocating, as the interest rates are sky high as people get deeper and deeper in and can’t seem to pull their way out.

I have several friends in this situation. My husband and I years ago were in that mode. He lost his job due to his corporation closing down, and although I was thankfully employed, we still suffered huge financial deficits, in which we are still paying off. It can be stressful, makes for physical illnesses, and creates a pitfall of disastrous outcomes.

Debts like a mortgage make sense to most, but God doesn’t want individuals to be “unnecessarily” financially burdened, that is to say in debt. He offers that the only thing we should be owing one another is “love.” Which we are to reflect and give freely, and in tangible forms.

God encourages us to love. “Be givers not borrowers, where and when we can, if we can.” However, it is so hard when we are faced with the climate of this world today. We are gagging on the lies we are being fed today, and in just a little while, we have gone from being the world’s largest creditor nation, to debtor status…and it’s becoming more and more apparent as we struggle to live in this economy.

We can be followers of God today and do things that please God in heart and soul. We can contribute to areas that seem gray, but we can add kindness love and help to turn that “gray” into brilliant hues of blue and yellow and green!

God is Sovereign and we mustn’t give up, He can accomplish anything He wants to, and He will guide us if we seek Him. He can “feed” us in more ways than one, when we love Him and believe in Him. There are ways, sometimes not easily identifiable, or clear cut, but there are ways nonetheless. We need to subscribe to his doctrine and live in faith and trust, and above all seek Him in all we do continuously.

2 Kings 4:44  So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

Elisha fed one hundred men with twenty loaves of barley bread, Jesus fed five thousand men with five loaves, and two fish, and four thousand men with seven loaves and a few fish. Can anyone doubt that miracles happened? And can anyone doubt that miracles still can happen to this very day?

When we look at the grim and gray news or the conditions of the world, the carousel cycle of political intrigue on both sides of the fence, we need to call out to ONE who can change it all. Simply by a wave of His hand. He is the only One equipped to wipe it all away. He is the One who is above all else and the only One in control.

We can face any circumstance with confidence and hope, because it is not our strength, wisdom, energy, or power that brings victory each and every time. Triumph only comes because of God’s ability, and when we place our infinite trust in Him, we therefore tap into an irresistible force that no one and nothing can successfully oppose…

“Father, thank You for seeing to our needs and may I always remember that even in the darkest hour, there is always Your light to allow me to see the way, that in this world of chaos, there is Your peace, and in the turbulence, there is tranquility, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”