Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Family”
Our Bible verse for today: “And if you lend to those whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.” Luke 6:34-35 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Borrowing and lending within families creates opportunity for conflict.”
I’ll be honest with you – I’m not sure why I’m writing this devotional message on the subject of borrowing and lending. It was not on my list of topics I wanted to address this month. But this morning the Lord convicted me about it and I haven’t been able to shake it. All I can conclude is that there’s someone out there who needs to read this.
Let me be clear that the Bible does not forbid us to be a borrower or a lender. There are many instances in the Bible where both were done. However Proverbs 22:7 does tell us that, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave to the lender.” And on the other side of the coin there are many passages which caution the lender not to take unfair advantage of those who borrow.
So the Bible doesn’t forbid us to borrow or to lend, but it is clear that the act of borrowing and lending brings with it many possible problems. A borrower becomes indebted to the lender and may find themselves in a position where they cannot repay the debt; or worse still, in a position where they don’t want to repay the debt and therefore try to find ways to avoid repaying it.
On the lender’s side there is often the temptation to charge interest and therefore make a profit off of the person who was in the position of needing to borrow. And if repayment becomes a problem, lenders will sometimes give in to anger and resentment and perhaps take strong measures against the borrower who is in default. The Bible cautions us against both paths – defaulting on debts, or getting overly tough with those who default against us.
However in Luke 6:43-44 Jesus hints at a different approach. In that passage he suggests that a lender should be content to not be repaid at all. Likewise in other passages, Jesus used illustrations of kind lenders graciously forgiving outstanding debts. What Jesus was describing for us was a model based upon mercy, compassion, generosity, and grace.
In his classic work on Christian financial management, “The Total Money Makeover”, author Dave Ramsey builds on that concept of grace and mercy and generosity and suggests a rule that involves no lending at all. He says that you should either say “no” to the request for a loan, or you should give the money as a gift; but don’t get involved in lending money to family or friends because that just creates opportunities for conflict.
I agree with Dave and therefore Linda and I have adopted that rule as our own. We don’t lend money to people. We either say “no” or we give it as a gift, but we don’t loan.
I don’t know who you are out there this morning, but somebody needs to hear this. I’m thinking that somebody has extended a loan to a friend or family member that is now in default and is creating problems; or you’re thinking about extending a loan and therefore opening yourself up for possible problems in the future.
Pray about it, do what you think is best, but relationships are more important than money. If there is a loan and it is in default, you might want to think about forgiving it just to clear the table and get the issue out of the way. If you’re thinking about extending a loan, it might be better for both of you if you just give it as a gift – or just say “no”. But it really is true that relationships are more important than money and borrowing and lending opens the door for conflict and anger.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 