The Bible reminds us that the borrower is always a slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). Therefore, it behooves us, as much as is possible, to follow the admonition of the Apostle Paul in Romans 13:8 to “owe no one anything, except to love each other…”
Still, very few people can get through life without having to borrow money for substantial purchases such as a vehicle or a house. Like most people, my precious wife and I acquired a mortgage along the way. But thankfully, there eventually came a day when we were free of that burden.
Back when we retired a few years ago, we managed to pay off our mortgage and became debt free. In the intervening time, by God’s grace, we have managed to remain so! Trust me when I say that few things are as satisfying as not being in debt to any person for any reason!
Given all this, I was particularly delighted to have been invited to attend the note-burning ceremony earlier today as a part of the morning worship service of the church from which I retired. For decades, prior generations there had given sacrificially, often as much as twenty percent of their annual income, in order to see the debt reduced. As they did, they held on to their vision that this day would eventually come to pass.
And rightly so; for living debt free is indeed a powerful thing. With no mortgage, my wife and I find that we can now more easily afford to spend money on all the other things that we value. Chief among these things are our children and our grandchildren.
In like manner, once a church family becomes debt free, she is freed up to spend resources was once earmarked for debt on other, far more important priorities.
In our twilight years, my wife and I look forward to focusing more and more on our kids and grandkids. This is only natural. But in a very real sense, it is also quite spiritual.
Upon my arrival at the above church as Pastor, I inherited $2.7 million of debt – itself down from the original $5.9 million that the church had taken on several years earlier when she decided to relocate. We immediately set about paying down that debt. We eventually succeeded in reducing it to a mere $700 thousand.
At that point, we felt led to buy additional property and build additional buildings. Thereupon, we rolled the $700 thousand outstanding debt into a loan of an additional $10.8 million. The resulting $11.5 million debt was initially offset by a three year capital campaign in which we raised $3.6 million, leaving the church family with a resultant debt of $7.9 million, which we once again set about reducing.
Over the years, we undertook no less than seven different capital stewardship campaigns in an attempt to decrease that debt. Upon my retirement, due to the faithful giving of the church family at that time, that debt was down to right at $2 million. And now, due to the continued faithfulness of the present church family, it has at last been paid in full!
I rejoiced as I watched a mortgage document with large red letters written across the face stating “PAID IN FULL” go up in flames! The burden of debt was finally lifted off the backs of God’s people.
I am no longer Pastor there, having served that church during the time God ordained. The Lord has now called a new Pastor to lead the church forward. But I can only imagine the possibilities as the current church family now re-imagines how the resources once allocated to debt retirement will now be spent on ministries to others in the name of Jesus Christ. At long last, in this regard, the church is free to make a difference!
And now, more than ever, the church family can not only “owe no one anything”, but can also “love others” in ever more creative and effective ways! After all, in the words of the Apostle John, “We love others because He first loved us.”
And it was His love for us that has set us free, not just materially, but spiritually. In the words of the song-writer of old…
He paid a debt He did not owe,
I owed a debt I could not pay,
I needed someone to wash my sins away;
And now I sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace,”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.
He paid that debt at Calvary,
He cleansed my soul and set me free,
I’m glad that Jesus did all my sins erase;
I now can sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace,”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.
Multiple generations of a certain church family are rejoicing this day. And rightfully so, for their debt has been paid in full. Not just materially, but also spiritually!
SONG SOURCE:
https://hymnary.org/text/he_paid_a_debt_he_did_not_owe.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/proverbs/22-7.htm;
https://biblehub.com/romans/13-8.htm;
https://biblehub.com/1_john/4-19.htm.
Still, very few people can get through life without having to borrow money for substantial purchases such as a vehicle or a house. Like most people, my precious wife and I acquired a mortgage along the way. But thankfully, there eventually came a day when we were free of that burden.
Back when we retired a few years ago, we managed to pay off our mortgage and became debt free. In the intervening time, by God’s grace, we have managed to remain so! Trust me when I say that few things are as satisfying as not being in debt to any person for any reason!
Given all this, I was particularly delighted to have been invited to attend the note-burning ceremony earlier today as a part of the morning worship service of the church from which I retired. For decades, prior generations there had given sacrificially, often as much as twenty percent of their annual income, in order to see the debt reduced. As they did, they held on to their vision that this day would eventually come to pass.
And rightly so; for living debt free is indeed a powerful thing. With no mortgage, my wife and I find that we can now more easily afford to spend money on all the other things that we value. Chief among these things are our children and our grandchildren.
In like manner, once a church family becomes debt free, she is freed up to spend resources was once earmarked for debt on other, far more important priorities.
In our twilight years, my wife and I look forward to focusing more and more on our kids and grandkids. This is only natural. But in a very real sense, it is also quite spiritual.
Upon my arrival at the above church as Pastor, I inherited $2.7 million of debt – itself down from the original $5.9 million that the church had taken on several years earlier when she decided to relocate. We immediately set about paying down that debt. We eventually succeeded in reducing it to a mere $700 thousand.
At that point, we felt led to buy additional property and build additional buildings. Thereupon, we rolled the $700 thousand outstanding debt into a loan of an additional $10.8 million. The resulting $11.5 million debt was initially offset by a three year capital campaign in which we raised $3.6 million, leaving the church family with a resultant debt of $7.9 million, which we once again set about reducing.
Over the years, we undertook no less than seven different capital stewardship campaigns in an attempt to decrease that debt. Upon my retirement, due to the faithful giving of the church family at that time, that debt was down to right at $2 million. And now, due to the continued faithfulness of the present church family, it has at last been paid in full!
I rejoiced as I watched a mortgage document with large red letters written across the face stating “PAID IN FULL” go up in flames! The burden of debt was finally lifted off the backs of God’s people.
I am no longer Pastor there, having served that church during the time God ordained. The Lord has now called a new Pastor to lead the church forward. But I can only imagine the possibilities as the current church family now re-imagines how the resources once allocated to debt retirement will now be spent on ministries to others in the name of Jesus Christ. At long last, in this regard, the church is free to make a difference!
And now, more than ever, the church family can not only “owe no one anything”, but can also “love others” in ever more creative and effective ways! After all, in the words of the Apostle John, “We love others because He first loved us.”
And it was His love for us that has set us free, not just materially, but spiritually. In the words of the song-writer of old…
He paid a debt He did not owe,
I owed a debt I could not pay,
I needed someone to wash my sins away;
And now I sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace,”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.
He paid that debt at Calvary,
He cleansed my soul and set me free,
I’m glad that Jesus did all my sins erase;
I now can sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace,”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.
Multiple generations of a certain church family are rejoicing this day. And rightfully so, for their debt has been paid in full. Not just materially, but also spiritually!
SONG SOURCE:
https://hymnary.org/text/he_paid_a_debt_he_did_not_owe.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/proverbs/22-7.htm;
https://biblehub.com/romans/13-8.htm;
https://biblehub.com/1_john/4-19.htm.