Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Our lives begin to end the day that we become silent about things that matter."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr



Picture # 542069 / 306-SSM-4D(107)16; Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking; 8/28/1963; National Archives and Records Administration



His dedication, his commitment, his courage, his service and his dreams are remembered and honored today.

As a nation we show honor.

Reflect and redirect on today,

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday.

 

Debt Series: Simple Truth #2 - Pay What You Owe





Pay what you owe.  We shouldn't expect to be released from paying what we’ve obligated ourselves to pay.  A bailout is not our prayer.  A debt cancellation is not our prayer.  Our prayer is for the Lord to provide the resources required for us to be responsible in meeting our debt obligations.  Our prayer is to ask for wisdom and guidance in managing those resources that the Lord currently provides to us so that we will be able to reflect Him in our financial actions. Pay what you owe.

This core focus of this principle is not about getting the actual obligations paid.  This principle is more about the condition of our heart concerning your financial obligations as a follower of Jesus Christ. 

A “bailout” / “let-me-out” mentality is one that is ever present in individuals around the world when it comes to paying back debt.  Bankruptcy is ever present and is a cyclical process in the lives of some.  I’ve heard Christian believers pray to the Lord for a debt cancellation as an approach to handling outstanding obligations.  I know that the Lord can cancel debts and I have personal testimony of such a blessing!   Principles in our Holy Bible instruct us to do just the opposite of these approaches – we’re instructed to own up to our responsibilities when we have an obligation and have a committed heart to paying it back in a timely manner.  Different than what you’ve believed?  Let's reVerse!

We should honor our word by honoring agreements that we’ve made.

If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.  Numbers 30:2 NKJV

Wicked describes someone that lives their life in a crooked way – not following the word of God.  This scripture notes that those that are wicked borrow and do not pay the obligation.  If we are committed to living our lives with the Holy Bible as a guidebook, we should repay what we borrow.

The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives  Psalm 37:21 NKJV



The laws of the land that the Israelites were to follow were established by Moses after he sought the Lord on such matters.   In reading these established laws, it is clear to me that in addition to honoring obligations that they had made (Numbers 30:2), the children of God were instructed to abide by laws that promoted everyone taking care of their personal responsibilities.  In addition to paying debt obligations, it included being responsible for the food, shelter and clothing for oneself and one’s family, the proper management of owned or borrowed personal property and paying what you owe for the consumption of goods and services.  Here’s a few of the many verses to reference for these concepts:   

 

The people of Israel vowed to be responsible to paying what they and their animals would consume while traveling through the land of Edom.



Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’”

Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.”  So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”    Numbers 20:17-19 NKJV

The children of Israel were in a position to take advantage of the people of Seir on their journey because the Israelites were feared.  The Lord instructed His people be responsible and purchase food and water from them instead of capitalizing on the advantage.  The Lord had blessed His people to be able to take care of themselves and instructed them to do so.

You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.  “For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand.     Deuteronomy 2:5-7 NKJV



King David refuses to take from anyone to give his offerings to the Lord.  Even though he was king, he took his personal responsibilities to pay his obligations seriously. 

Then King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.”  1 Chronicles 21:24 NKJV



Jonah was purposefully running from the presence of the Lord.  Even in his disobedience, he paid his obligated fare for boarding the ship to Tarshish.  He didn’t expect anything to be free. 

But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.  Jonah 1:3 NKJV

Paul shares with the Thessalonians that while ministering to them, Paul, Timothy and Silas worked and paid for their food so that their ministry would not be a burden to the people.  

nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.  2 Thessalonians 3:8  NKJV



Everyone should commit to pay what they owe.  If you are the lender, do not go to the borrower to take repayments.  Give your brother the opportunity to be obedient to the scriptures to initiate the payment of his debt.  This will help to avoid strife.



When you lend your brother anything, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge.  You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge out to you.

Deuteronomy 24:10-11 NKJV

I learned the principle of paying what you owe in the late 80’s.  I borrowed to obtain student loans to fund my college education.  After completing college and enjoying a 4 month grace period before student loan repayment time, I received the paperwork necessary to setup my loan repayments.  As requested, I submitted the paperwork, received the payment certificates and began repaying my student loans.  The payments were more than I wanted to pay but I was blessed to be gainfully employed in the professional field of my choosing and was making enough money to cover my expenses including this loan payment.  I even had money left over!  God is so good.  



About 6 months into paying back this student loan obligation,  I started to ask myself  “Why am I paying this?  I’m not getting anything for this money that I’m paying out each month.”  I know you're wondering why I'd ask this question.  Well yes, I did get an education and was awarded two degrees which did lend to making me attractive to corporations seeking young professionals BUT… I felt that I was owed that education!!

Let me explain the logic of my young mind … I was a smart kid… graduated second in my small high school class. On February 17 in my high school senior year I left home one afternoon to go play in a high school basketball game.  I told my dad goodbye and assured him that I would not get in a fight in the game this time (another topic, another day).  I came home after the game later that night to witness my uncle and my mom speeding past the school bus in a reckless manner as they were rushing my dad to the hospital.  My father had a heart attack at home shortly before I returned home from the game and he died shortly after his arrival at the hospital.   

My dad didn’t get to hear me say that I didn’t get in a fight with anyone on the opposing team that night. He didn’t get to hear my Salutatorian speech 3 months later.  He didn’t get to witness me finishing college.  He missed out on all of those things.  The most painful part was that I missed out on all of those things. 

There was no college fund.  Since my dad was the sole breadwinner for our family, I paid for all of my college education without any assistance from my parents, thus the need for the student loans.  I felt that I deserved to have my education funded since I had experienced so much loss.  I then reasoned that I should be released from the student loans that I originally committed to repay!

I started looking for ways to get out of paying my loans – at the time there were options available.  More people felt the way that I did and there were agencies and programs available to assist.  I applied for and was granted a forbearance to suspend my student loan payments for 6 months.  No student loan payments!  Much better!!  After this 6 month payment suspension period was over, I received paperwork to apply for another 6 month forbearance. My response?  “Can you repeat that fax number please?   I’ll return the completed forms to you today!”  I did and again, no payments for another 6 months!

Something happened to me during this second 6 month forbearance time frame.  I occasionally would wake up during the night with this item on my mind.  I borrowed the money, but I was not paying it back even though payment was due per the original loan agreement.  When I signed the papers as a student,  I was so happy to get the loan because it meant that I could attend college.  In my heart, I vowed that when I got a degree and a job I would pay back every penny.  While wide awake in the middle of the night as an employed college graduate, I realized that my actions were telling a different story.  I was wrong and I knew it.  I could not rest well as long as I was OK with this arrangement.  This is how I learned the principle of pay what you owe.  I didn’t speak to any friends or relatives.  I didn't pick up a bible.  I didn’t consult my Pastor or other church leaders but I learned this lesson well.  The Holy Spirit taught me this invaluable lesson even though I wasn’t seeking the Lord and I didn’t know that this was a biblical principle. 

After the second forbearance period lifted, I received a letter asking if I’d like to apply for the last suspension that would be possible for this loan.  Without even thinking about it, I waived the option to reapply for suspension, worked with the lender to resume payments.  I eventually paid off the loan and even sent extra funds toward the principle as a part of my strategy.  This was such an accomplishment for me!  I was so proud of myself that I shared the success of paying off my student loans with family, friends and strangers alike!  No one knew of or understood the heart change that took place as a part of paying off this loan – until now.

During that same adjustment period, needing to mourn the loss of my dad, I began a grieving process that I had unknowingly delayed for 5 years.      

I’ve never forgotten this lesson.  I learned it well.   This principle is a relevant one for each of us.  In the days of bailouts, bankruptcy and entitlement mentalities, this principle is often ignored. 

The Lord is our source.  He wants us to be take responsibility for what we owe and diligently seek him for our needs. 

If you are one of many that have in the past or are currently operating in an income shortfall condition, I pray that this principle does not leave you feeling judged.  Bad things happen to good people - even those that love the Lord.  I'm grateful that as Paul noted in Romans 8:1, therefore there is no condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Don't feel that you've blown it if you haven't followed this principle.  Seek the Lord to direct your path in the area of finances.  Ask Him to change your heart and renew your mind if you've become conformed to the ways of this world.

What are your honest thoughts on paying what you owe?  Take a few minutes to take this 3 question anonymous survey on abandoning debt obligations.   Completing this survey should take less than 90 seconds of your time.  http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22ECPWUQ8T9

I will share the results of this survey and others that I'm conducting in a future blogpost article.   Thank you in advance for your participation!

If you haven’t already, create a listing of your current debt obligations in an effort to better manage the handling of them. 

Email me if you'd like to receive a free spreadsheet to help you to gather your debt information in a manageable format.   



Click here for the previous post in this series



Carolyn M. Williams



Click here for the next post in this series



6 Questions To Assess Your Personal Financial Position

Would you like to see an improvement in your personal financial position within the next 12 months? 

What does a personal financial improvement mean for you?



Theodor38@dreamstime



Where Are You?

How do you make this year a better year for you in managing your personal finances?  The first step is to determine where you are now. 

I’ve found that when it comes to our financial position, If we have challenges, many of us choose to not take the time and energy to face this subject.  We look away, ignore our current situation, avoid conversations and other things that would cause us to open our eyes to our own handbags, wallets, checkbooks and bank accounts.

In Genesis Chapter 3,  Adam and Eve hid in the garden from the Lord after they had disobeyed his commands in managing the Garden of Eden.  They knew what they had done and they had an understanding that their actions were not in line with the instructions from the Lord.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”  

Genesis 3:6-10 NKJV    

If we are to improve in serving the Lord in our personal financial management, we must come out of hiding and realize where we are.  Not facing our past actions stalls our progress. Where are you?   Come out of hiding today!

If you currently are not experiencing financial management challenges, this may be a time for you to stretch yourself for advancement.  Strategize!  Learn more! Invest more!

Here’s six questions that will help you to perform a high level  assessment of your personal financial position.

1.  Do you have a source of income for your household?  (Yes or No)

If you answered Yes to this question we give thanks to God for this blessing.  With this blessing you inherit the responsibility to be a faithful steward of these financial resources. 

If you answered No to this question and you are in need of financial resources for your home, let’s pray for the Lord who is our source to bless your household financially.

2.  Are you using a budget or personal spending plan monthly?  (Yes or No)

Your odds of achieving your personal financial management goals increase exponentially with the use of a financial management system.  I feel so strongly on this point that I will say that you will not reach your goals unless you are using a system!  This system should not be complicated.  It must work for you.  Write it down, use a spreadsheet or purchase a commercial software package… they all work well if you use them.  If you are not using a system for managing your household finances, add this to your list of must-do items this year!

3.  Do you currently have non-mortgage debt?  (Yes or No)

Eliminating debt will free you to move into more progressive uses of the financial resources in which you are entrusted.  Payments that are going toward debt can be redirected towards retirement planning, investing, college funds, starting a business and doing ministry work.  The overall goal is to eliminate all debt starting with those non-mortgage obligations.  If you currently have non-mortgage debt, include a realistic reduction goal to your resolutions.

4.  Do you currently have savings? (Yes or No)

Savings is essential to eliminate the need to accumulate debt and being able to handle those unfortunate unplanned situations that require financial resources.  If you answered no to this question, now is the time to establish a saving plan and routine.  You don’t have to save a lot to count this as an improvement to your financial position! 

5.  Do you currently have active investments?  (Yes or No)

Are you an active participant in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, futures or other investment vehicles?  If you are not, consider if this is the year for you to advance into any of these areas. 

6.  What are your top three financial goals for the year?

What would you like to accomplish financially in the next 12 months?  If you only have one goal, that is perfectly fine.  I’d like to stretch you and ask you to identify three.  Write them down!

Take this survey online by following this link  http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22EAHP4DCEH

This survey is anonymous and your responses will be used to assist us in determining how the future postings from Money reVerse can tailored to be most beneficial to you. 

Share this with others if you feel this information would be a blessing!