It is both impossible and dangerous to solve personal debt by only talking about money. Like every other issue in our life, debt must be rooted in a distinctly biblical worldview. We must allow the gospel of Jesus Christ to correct our assumptions about debt and shape our spending. Otherwise, we won’t be able to gain ground in the way we understand money, avoid debt, and use our finances to bring glory to God.

Today hundreds of thousands of people will wake to the burden of severe debt. It is tempting to believe that the solution to debt and the pathway to financial freedom begins with paychecks, budgets, and investments. Educating yourself about money is wise, and a budget can be practically helpful, but it cannot be our starting point. That would be like teaching a little boy to throw a football but not helping him to understand the basic purpose, rules, and fundamentals of the game.

It is both impossible and dangerous to solve personal debt by only talking about money. Like every other issue in our life, debt must be rooted in a distinctly biblical worldview. We must allow the gospel of Jesus Christ to correct our assumptions about debt and shape our spending. Otherwise, we won’t be able to gain ground in the way we understand money, avoid debt, and use our finances to bring glory to God.

Debt and Surrender

Addressing the issue of debt doesn’t begin with money education and budget information; it begins with surrender. You and I will never use money the way it was meant to be used, and we will never break disastrous money habits, if we are not living in light of the fact that life is not about us.

We are God’s idea, we reflect his design, we exist for his purpose, and we have been commissioned to do his will. When it comes to money, you and I weren’t designed to find our own way, to make it up as we go along, or to write our own set of rules.

The world wasn’t first created to be a vehicle for realizing our personal definition of happiness. Money wasn’t created for the sole purpose of bringing into our lives all the things we crave. If we don’t start with surrender, even if we’re not in debt, we will use money in a way that God never intended.

In this way maybe many of us have more money problems than we realize. We think we’re okay because we are able to pay the price of our pleasures. But we’re not okay, because what shapes our money matters is a spirit of ownership rather than a spirit of surrender. The first step in money sanity is surrendering to the glory of one greater than you.

Read More