Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:7-8)
What a blessing and liberating feeling I had this week as I cut a check to Ford Credit and paid off the outstanding debt owed on my car! As hard as it was not to splurge, Alicia and I used every bit of our income tax returns to pay off my car just as we had done the prior year for her Honda Pilot. No car payment next month! Other than our mortgage and monthly expenses Alicia and I are virtually debt-free. It's taken us the better part of five years to dig ourselves out of financial disaster, but I am pretty excited to say the least.
You must understand that it wasn't too long ago that I carried five different credit cards with a total debt owed around $65,000. Yes, you read that correctly, $65,000. I must give credit to where credit is due-my lovely wife, Alicia, is very conservative and fiscally responsible when it comes to money. On the other hand, I am the big spender who used to live by the philosophy "of spend it all while you are alive because you can't take any money with you when you leave this earth." My mom and dad have bailed me out of debt too many times to count and God has blessed me with a wonderful support group of friends and family that have encouraged me along the way.
The problem with my immature way of thinking was that it wasn't my money to begin with. I had borrowed money from my "buddies" over at Visa, Master Card and American Express and was barely able to make the minimum monthly payments. I had no way to pay it back because at the time, I was just finishing school at Auburn and owed way more than I earned. Debt is a huge problem for the average American. Not paying back what you owe is, by Biblical standards, wrong.
God wants us to be free in all areas of our life, including our finances. When we withhold what is rightfully due or owed, we are guilty of stealing, which is sin. It may seem like an impossible task to accomplish, but with God's help, there is no mountain of debt that is beyond His realm to help you repay. His help won't be a quick fix, as many of God's blessings come in His perfect timing in accordance to His perfect will, but He always takes care of His beloved children. We must learn to trust Him with everything, especially our finances.
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