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Forgive Us Our Debts
There are very few people who are comfortable owing anyone money. The text in Matthew 6:12 that is a part of what is known as The Lord’s Prayer refers to the debts we owe God but can never repay. However, there was a period in my life when I found myself drowning in literal debt and had no time to think of my spiritual debt.
As a pastor I was taught doctrine, policy, administrative procedures, religious ceremonies, etc., but no one taught me how to get out of debt. As a matter of fact, I was ashamed to admit to anyone my financial struggles. How could I have any problems? I was a graduate of Andrews University. I had received a master’s degree and was working on my doctorate degree. But there I was, trying to make ends meet. All manner of thoughts flooded my mind.
Why wasn’t I being blessed? I thought that if I returned a faithful tithe and offering the Lord would pour out His blessings upon me. Did I miss something? My debt wasn’t due to frivolous spending. I had good credit, and that’s why the credit card companies kept sending me offers in the mail, right? $5,000 line of credit, $2,500 line of credit. I wish that was the case. They were sending me credit card offers because I could make them money. I was a student in the seminary with my salary reduced to less than half and a baby on the way. Those credit card companies were a blessing, or were they?
The fact of the matter is that it does not matter how you got into debt or why. I want to encourage you to know for a certainty that you can come out of the debt-pit that has many families on the brink of divorce and disillusionment. As a pastor, I not only have seen the terrible results of debt and the pain it causes, but I have experienced it.
In 2001 my family and I moved from New Rochelle, New York, to Dallas, Texas, after, we accepted an offer to work in that part of the country. In New York my wife worked for the mayor’s office; my mother-in-law lived with us and watched over our two daughters. When we moved to Dallas, we decided my wife would be a home technician (stay-at-home mom). This meant that we were going from a two-income family to a one-income family. We thought it would be all right because the cost of living was lower and we would not have to pay for childcare or travel expenses for work. Money spent on lunch and wardrobe for work would be eliminated. However, little by little, I started feeling the pressure.
Even though we were able to purchase a house, it did not alleviate the financial burden that I was feeling. In addition to my financial burdens, my ministry faced distressing challenges for the first time. We also found out that my wife was pregnant with our third child, and what should have been joyous news hit me like a ton of bricks—more bills. I felt that God had abandoned me. I would soon learn that the harder you are bounced, the higher you rise.
One particular evening, I believe my wife sensed my distress. She knew I had struggles on the job, but she also knew that I was stressed over our finances. She said, “Honey, don’t worry; we have made a covenant with God to take care of our family. I am not working because we are raising our children the way God wants us to. He will work it out for us, and it will be on time.”
In February of 2004 I was invited to pastor in California. We were leaving Dallas to go to a place with a higher cost of living. But the invitation came as a godsend. My wife and I decided not to make decisions based on finances, but on whether we were impressed that God was leading us to a particular place.
It was in California that a colleague informed me about someone named Dave Ramsey from Tennessee. He asked me if I’d consider becoming a certified financial consultant. And also, Dave Ramsey has something called FPU (Financial Peace University) that helps people get out of debt and stay out of debt. Through speaking to a colleague God was answering my prayer and proving my wife to be the wisest of women. He’s an on-time God, yes He is!
I attended the Dave Ramsey workshop and became certified. I followed the principles taught in Financial Peace University, and my wife and I saw our bills decreasing. In a society that does not encourage delayed gratification, we made some tough decisions such as: (1) cutting up our credit cards, (2) paying cash only, (3) paying ourselves, (4) paying off our credit cards systematically, and (5) establishing a $1,000 emergency fund. Now we have seen our consumer bills eliminated. All of this was done on one salary. We are rich in that we owe no one anything, and we can give more to our family and to our church.
Becoming debt free is so important to me that we implemented the program in our church. We now have families going through the program, eliminating their debt and drawing closer to God. At our church we offer a relationship class, a health class, and FPU. As a result, we have seen an increase in our church attendance.
Many think that their responsibility is to return a faithful tithe and offering and that God is not concerned with the rest of their money. God is concerned and He does care. I believe we have a responsibility not only to free our people from the burden of sins, but also to free them that they may live abundant lives down here. You may not use Dave Ramsey’s program, but I want to encourage you if you are burdened by your debt. You are not alone. God will not only forgive the debt that you cannot repay, but He will give you the strength to get out of the debt that you can pay.
LANSTON SYLVESTER, D.MIN., pastor of Mayfair Seventh-day Adventist Church in Stockton, California. |
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