Solution to US Economy Troubles
I know I said the next post would be about interest but I have to take a detour for a minute. What kept coming to mind the other night as I listened to the President was Romans 13:8.
Romans 13:8 “Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor [who practices loving others] has fulfilled the Law [relating to one's fellowmen, meeting all its requirements].”
It would appear a big reason our economy is so bad is because everyone buys on credit rather than with cash. If we bought within our means and only when we had cash, we wouldn’t have this problem. If our eyes weren’t bigger than our wallets, we wouldn’t have this problem. If we weren’t in such need of immediate gratification, we wouldn’t have this problem. If people didn’t go around thinking they are owed something, we wouldn’t have this problem. If we were appreciative of what we had rather than feed the need for more, we wouldn’t have this problem.
Please don’t misunderstand. I am not saying that having wealth and nice things is bad. What I’m saying is that we need to be responsible about how we get them. If you have to get those things with credit then it isn’t worth it. I am saddened when people say “Woe is me. I’m so far in debt. The government should bail me out” but yet they created their own situation by spending money on fancy cell phones, flat screen TV’s, recreational vehicles, etc, etc on credit. Contrary to popular belief those things are not necessities. They are luxuries.
Do you know what Dictionary.com defines a luxury as:
- free or habitual indulgence in or enjoyment of comforts and pleasures in addition to those necessary for a reasonable standard of well-being
- a foolish or worthless form of self-indulgence
Interesting, eh? Doesn’t sound like smart money management does it?
There was a reason that God said to owe no man anything. I believe that is because we wouldn’t be enslaved by this world’s system of credit and debt. Think about it. If we are free from debt we sleep better at night. We have less stress. We don’t need to worry about mortgages and loans because we don’t need to use them. Our housing market wouldn’t be in the pit because people wouldn’t be taking out loans on houses that are way too expensive for them. It’s not up to the government to bail people out of their bad decisions. If people want to take out loans that are too big, then they need to take responsibility for their bad decision. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how much you can comfortably spend on a mortgage.
Our country needs to take more responsibility for their financial decisions, stop running away from God, and start running to Him where we will find He has already instructed us how to live prosperous, abundant and enjoyable lives. We just have to take the time to study His Word and spend time with Him so we can hear what He has been so desperately trying to tell us.
John 10:10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [b]overflows).
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Deuteronomu 28:1-11 1IF YOU will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God. 3Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field. 4Blessed shall be the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your beasts, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock. 5Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading trough. 6Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8The Lord shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouse and in all that you undertake. And He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 9The Lord will establish you as a people holy to Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name [and in the presence of] the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11And the Lord shall make you have a surplus of prosperity, through the fruit of your body, of your livestock, and of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12The Lord shall open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
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Luke 6:45 The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.***
II Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. *All verses from the Amplified Bible.