Debt is Dumb And Dumber

Andrew Jackson hated debt.

So when he became president, He worked hard to make sure the United States would be in the black. By 1835, he had reduced what the country owed from around $58 million to zero. For the first time in its history, the country was debt free.

It lasted for a whole year.

Since there was no national bank to store the excess money (because Jackson had done away with it) the surplus couldn't be placed there. It was decided that the money would be given back to the states to be split between them. Like a kid getting a big, fat check from grandma at birthday time, the states went on a spending spree and began printing money—lots of money.

Jackson tried to stop the runaway train, but it was too late. The states were buying up land and spending like mad. This misspending resulted in a long depression, and the government found themselves borrowing money, again. The glory days of a debt-free America lasted one whole year, and it has never happened again.[i]

Before we wag our heads at the senselessness of our forefathers, we need to consider how we handle our own debt. I’m not talking about the mortgage or the car note; I’m referring to own sin debt. For the believer, our sin debt was taken away by Jesus (Colossians 2:14). What do we do with our debt free status?

Do we go on a sinning spree? Do we continue in sin expecting the debt to keep being paid off (Romans 6:1-2)? Do we make our situation worse and end up in even a worse position (2^nd Peter 2:21-22)?

Let’s never forget the cost of what it took to remove our sin. Instead of going back into the hole let’s live in the surplus of righteous living.

[i] Knowledge Stew: Volume 2 by Daniel Ganninger

Comments

Until Midnight

In Acts 20, there is the tragicomic event surrounding a young man by the name of Eutychus. He did what a lot of folks before and after him did, he fell asleep during a sermon. Unfortunately, he was setting in in the third story window at the time. So instead of nodding off and hitting the pew in front of him, he fell to his death. The good news was the apostle Paul was delivering the sermon and had the ability to bring him back. I don’t know, however, if we can judge Eutychus too harshly. The sermon had gone on till midnight. Paul wouldn’t finish it up till daybreak. That’s a long lesson. I know some folks that might want to jump out of a window if I had a lesson that long, yet these Christians wanted to be there to hear Paul. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pushing for all night sermons but I think we might need to adopt these folks' dedication. They knew that Paul was only in town for a limited time only and they were determined to ...

The Mighty Gulf

It is hard to get people on two sides of an issue to come together. Each has their own viewpoint, their perceptive, their own foibles, their own understanding. To gain any common ground there must be something in common. Something or someone that can bridge the gulf between the two. Could there be a greater gulf than there was between God and man? How could a holy perfect God find a way to connect to the fallen, imperfect mankind? How can one without temptation connect to those who are beset by it? How could limited mortal beings understand an omnipotent eternal God? In 1 Timothy 2:5, we read, “ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus .” The phrase mediator here describes a person that bridges the gap, a go-between. Jesus was one who could stand in both worlds. A perfect holy one who can understand our temptations, a man who would die yet live eternally, One who was God yet became flesh and dwelt among us. ...

Praying For A Famine

In the story of the prodigal son, we see a young man who leaves home to go into the far country. There he falls into a life of sin and excess. His funds from the inheritance run out but then something tragic happens, a famine. This famine means there isn’t enough for the people of that land much less this young outsider. They let him watch the pigs but won’t even let him eat their slop. It’s only then that the boy realizes the foolishness of his choices and the need to go home. He thinks he will only be accepted as a hired man, not a son but the hunger has burned away his pride. He does not care anymore. Yet his father accepts him back, it even seems he has been watching the road longing for his return. A celebration ensues, rejoicing over the lost one that has come home. Have we considered however what got him to come home? If not for the famine the young man may never have had the epiphany that he needed to come back. Famines are terrible things and they don’...

Ecclesiastes 12:10

Search This Blog