Slave to the Lender

[Chad]

We live in a culture that values “stuff.” Think about it. When Americans see people who own a big house, nice cars, and large businesses, they think, “Those people are successful.” It’s impossible to escape the thought that more stuff is better than less stuff.

Here’s the danger, though; if we buy into this idea, we can care more about people’s perceptions than our own reality. We can start to spend more money, so we own bigger and better things that can make us look more “successful.” A lot of times, this means that we spend more money than we actually have.

This is what the writer of Proverbs meant when he said, “The borrower is slave to the lender.” If we spend more money than we actually have, we become enslaved to people instead of God.

The key is learning to be content with what you have and recognizing that God’s opinion is more valuable than culture’s. God says that you are loved and accepted into His family no matter what. He also says that He will give us everything we need. Wouldn’t you rather be a slave to God than a slave to a lender?

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” ‭Proverbs‬ ‭22:7‬ ‭

Devotional from YouVersion

 

[HisFollower]

"Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." (Luke 12:15)

"Let your conversation [manner of living] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have." (Hebrews 13:5)

"And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." (1 Timothy 6:8)

 

[amadeus2]

This is something my wife and I worked on for many years with God's help. God bailed us out of deep pits time and time again until we finally learned our lesson. The answer really lies in these verses:

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." I John 2:15-16

What is the world? What are we? Are we of the Father or of the world?