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

One definition of debt is “living today on what you expect to earn in the future”. Today debt seems to be a way of life, but it should not be the norm for Christians. The Bible discourages debt. The Bible does not say that it is a sin to borrow money, but it does talk about the often-bad consequences of doing so.

When considering financial obligations, Paul counseled: Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Owe no one anything except to love one another (Romans 13:7-8).

Every society has always had at least a small percentage who were in debt, and it’s almost never to their benefit. Studies show there are three primary reasons that people get into financial difficulty.

The first is ignorance: Many people, even the educated, are financially illiterate. They were simply never exposed to the biblical or even secular principles of money management.

The second reason for financial difficulties is greed, or selfishness. In response to advertising and personal desire, people simply live beyond their means. They aren’t willing to live in, drive or wear what they can really afford. Many of these same people also feel that they are just too poor to tithe. As a consequence, they live their lives without God’s promised wisdom and blessings as stated in Mal. .3:10-11.

The third reason people find themselves in financial difficulty is personal misfortune. They may have experienced a serious illness without adequate health insurance. They may have been abandoned by a spendthrift marriage partner. A natural disaster may have wiped out their possessions. Or they may have been born and raised in abject poverty.

Whatever the reason, even if it’s a person’s own fault, debt can be alleviated. However, those in debt will need to make some changes in their lives, spending and financial priorities.

We are material beings and we live in a material world. A world that at times can be very alluring. You’d have to be made of steel and synthetic oil, not flesh and blood, not to feel, at times, the lure of material possessions and the desire for wealth.

Though we all face it, none of us has to succumb to the trap of making idols out of money, wealth and material possessions. We are promised divine power to stay faithful to what we know is right.