Owe Nothing But Love

Proverbs 6:1-5 My son, if you become surety for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth. So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend. Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

Oh what a mess many of us have made of our lives because of debt. Some because of debt we have gotten ourselves into personally; but some for our willingness to help a friend. The fact of the matter is that at some point we may have to borrow from someone somewhere. It is almost unavoidable. However, the Word of God does give us much to consider and pray about when it comes to whether or not we should be involved in certain transactions. Today's verses are very clear that we should avoid, at all cost, being surety, or taking on the debt that primarily belongs to someone else, whether friend or stranger. This is not saying that we cannot bless someone by helping them pay a past debt. This is talking about making a promise to take on the responsibility for a debt that is a future debt, such as an open line of credit, or a loan that is to be paid in the future. I learned this the hard way in my younger days when I cosigned a car loan for a friend who later defaulted. I ended up having to pay the balance of the loan in order to purchase my first home. Lesson learned. In Proverbs 22:7 Solomon warns that when we borrow, we become a servant to the lender. Sadly, the reason far too many of us end up drowning in debt is because we have not learned to be content with such things that God has already provided for us. Our other downfall, at times, is that we are not willing to hurt our friends' feelings by simply explaining that we should not, as believers, promise to pay a debt that will be incurred by someone else. Romans 13:8 tells us instead to owe no one anything, except to love one another. Jesus was our Greatest Example. He paid a debt that was past, present, and future. He paid for the sins we committed, are committing, and will commit. This is the love we are to have for one another; to love one another by forgiving past offenses, current offenses, and be willing to forgive future offenses. Yes, in the same manner each and every one of us was forgiven by God for Christ's sake. By the way, I am not saying that we do not hold the offenders accountable. I am saying that with every offense we must be willing to forgive. So, if today we find ourselves in foolish debts that we never should have taken on, for ourselves, or someone else, let us be like the deer and the birds who do all they can to escape the hunter, and get out of it as quickly as possible. Let us be like the ant in this same chapter who works diligently day after day to gather what is needed. Most of all, let us be diligent to love one another, as Christ loved, and loves, each and every one of us.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).