Slave To The Lender

⁷ The rich rules over the poor,
    and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
⁸ Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
    and the rod of his fury will fail.
⁹ Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
    for he shares his bread with the poor.

- Proverbs 22:7-9

A coworker of mine laughed, and I curiously asked him what was funny.  He said,  “Oh, I was signing up for a credit card, and I texted my wife for her Social Security Number.  She asked WHY!? And I realized this might not go well”.

This lead to a conversation about debt, and I pretty much encouraged him to not get the credit card amongst some other marital advice in regards to finances.  I was a bit frank over the matter but it is only because I know this road too well.  Fortunately, my coworker and I are good friends and he already knows I’m “the frugal one.” 

When it comes to being slaves to the lender, Grace and I have been chained to these shackles since before we were even married.  It wasn’t until we were expecting our first child that we really became money wise.  We took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace class, began following a tight budget and have worked multiple jobs to bring down our debt. And while we worked hard to be out of debt, we have also easily gotten side tracked and unfocused.  But that is probably because we were just looking at verse 7.  Verse 9 bring an even better incentive to be faithful with our finances.  

Giving feels good.  But beyond feeling good, God entrusts to further His Kingdom.  To use the incomes and gifts He gave us to love others is a big reason he blessed us in the first place. 

Whether we are in debt like in verse 7, barely getting by living paycheck to paycheck, bountiful like in verse 9, or really in the midst of financial hardship, let us be reminded that God is our provider.  

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

He supplies what our bodies need and what our souls need, too.  

I pray we spend some time today asking our heavenly father to fill our needs and our hearts.  I pray we recognize how blessed we are and in the season of Emmanuel, God with us, bless others and pour into their lives, too. 

Blessings, 

Zane