Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers. ~ Proverbs 22:26-28
I remember talking with an elderly man in our church when I was about 12 years-old. He was very adamant with his warning, "Don't EVER buy ANYTHING on credit!" Mr. Green continued, "I didn't even get a loan to buy my house! I worked hard, and paid cash. Don't ever borrow money to buy something. If you don't have the money, you can't afford it." That was a boundary stone. I wish I had listened more closely. I could have avoided some financial pain and suffering.
Many who lived through the Great Depression set up the same boundary stone. They saw the devastation that visited multiple generations when people bought things they couldn't afford by borrowing money they didn't have. They understood the danger and said throughout their lives, "Here is the boundary. Do not cross it. If you do, you will experience great heartache."
We live with boundaries every day. Don't drive on the other side of the yellow line or you will experience great pain, possibly death. Don't cheat on your test or you may get caught and fail. If you don't get caught, you will have cheated yourself out of learning something new, and wasted your time in the classroom. Don't go swimming in a river at flood stage - you will be swept away with no hope for rescue.
Recently, boundary stones were found along the northern coast line of Japan. They warned, "Do not build a house below this marker." The people who, generations ago, placed the marker were trying to warn their children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They wanted to firmly establish this warning, "Houses built beyond this point will be swept away in a tsunami." They had experienced the devastation of a tsunami and wanted to spare their descendants the same suffering and loss. But boundary stones are often ignored. After all, we've forgotten more than our ancestors ever knew - right?
The founders of this nation understood the parables of Jesus that warned what happened to those who borrowed and could not repay their lenders; the borrowers became slaves. But God did not create men and women to be slaves. We were created to be free. Founders like Thomas Jefferson were very clear about debt and established boundary stones.
"I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and in our comforts, in our labor and in our amusements. If we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy." - Thomas Jefferson
Scripture is very clear about the dangers of debt. Scripture is very clear about the importance of observing boundary stones. To ignore the warnings and to cross the boundaries or move the boundary stones is very perilous; to our spiritual lives, our personal lives, and our lives as citizens of this country. Our time, treasure, freedom and happiness depend on how we respond to the ancient proverb: Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.
Questions or comments? Email me at curt@smdcog.org
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