Living on the Rest
2 Kings 4:7
“Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.”
Money principles are very important to learn if life is going to be happy and stress free. Problems in the area of money will certainly hinder the happiness of life. It is very hard to have a happy life when bill collectors are constantly calling you. One of the major causes of marriage problems is money. When couples find themselves in a financial hole, they end up squabbling over how the money was spent. The frustration of the bill collectors calling will also cause a strain on a marriage relationship. It is very important that everyone learns to follow good principles concerning their money.
In the verse above we learn a very important principle about money. This widow lady had acquired a lot of debt. Whether this debt happened when her husband passed away or before he passed away is not revealed to us. We simply know that she had some debts that needed to be paid. She went to the man of God and asked his advice on how to handle the situation, and God performed a miracle in her life by supplying oil for her to sell. Here is the principle we need to learn. Elisha told her to sell the oil, pay her debts and then go live on the rest.
One of the greatest principles you can learn concerning money is to live on the rest. In other words, pay your debts before you spend on luxuries. Too many people buy luxuries before they pay their debts and end up in a mess. Luxuries should only be enjoyed in life after our monthly obligations are paid. Let me make this clear, nobody has a right to enjoy luxuries before their debts are paid. Luxuries should only be enjoyed after the debts are paid. In other words, pay your bills and then live on the rest.
So then we wonder what are our debts? I classify debts in three areas. Our first debt is to God. We owe God our tithes and offerings. This is a debt and we should pay it. Never should you spend God's money on other bills and luxuries without paying your tithes and offerings first. This will cause you to be cursed by God.
The second area of debt is monthly obligations. This would be the bills that come in every month. After paying your tithes and offerings, you should then make sure every bill is paid. Putting off your bills will only cause problems later on in life.
The third area of debt would be retirement. God commands us to take care of our own. So that would mean that laying aside for retirement is a debt. You should not spend on luxuries without first laying aside some money for retirement. Once these three areas have been taken care of, if you have money left over, then you can spend it on yourself.
Be careful about falling into the trap of buying luxuries before your debts are paid. You will regret this later on, and this will cause you to end up in a financial mess. When your finances are squared away you will find life to be less stressful. Though you may not have a lot of money, be sure to budget yourself to pay your debts first and then go live on the rest.
To contact Evangelist Allen Domelle, send an email to contact@oldpathsjournal.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment