Battling for Bucks

1 Corinthians 7:23, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”
The second half of Proverbs 22:7 says, “...And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.”

Do NOT misunderstand. When I made the commitment to give, I did not ‘instantly’ find myself debt free and solvent. It was a difficult road. II Corinthians 9:6, 7 says, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”
There ‘appears’ to be a contradiction here. I said there were times it was difficult to give. This verse clearly states not to give grudgingly. I would ‘argue’ (maintain by reasoning...persuade) that once I ‘purposed’ to ‘cheerfully’ give a specific part of my income to God, Satan was allowed to challenge my faith and trust in God.
Moreover, I was tested. Not everything started ‘turning up roses’. There were times during the last couple of years when I was homeless. What earthy belongings I had were stored in a friend’s garage, my mailing address was another friend’s house, and I was sleeping in my car. I was never quite reduced to a cardboard box and a shopping cart, but it was close. I definitely strained the ‘hospitality’ of friends and family. There were times when my disabilities and physical health deteriorated to the point I physically could not work. Through it all, I maintained my commitment to ‘give’.
God brought me through these past years. I have absolutely NO doubt about that. He provided for my needs (Philippians 4:19), even as I was tested to the limits of my strength to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13). Christ carried me more than I walked.
Giving was a constant reminder that I HAD to rely on God.
I had to learn about myself and finances and I had to change. I know Christians that have purposed to give. They set aside a portion of their income every month, and give it. They are paid more than once a month, but they only ‘give’ once a month, out of all their income. That definitely did not work for me. Though I stepped out in faith and trust, I did not have the discipline to follow through. I HAD to ‘give’ as soon as I got, or I found myself tempted and vacillating. I would waver, arguing with myself that I could buy groceries with this check and pay God with the next. I removed the temptation. Simply put, when the pay hit the bank, the check to God was written and mailed. Every time I received any income. In hindsight, it seems silly that I was ‘giving’ so many times a month, but whether it was $2, $20 or $200 income, I was still tempted to put off paying God. It was a matter of faith and trust that God would provide my needs. I am still challenged with that faith and trust issue.

The bottom line is this:
Yes, God promises to honor giving! HOWEVER, He does so according to HIS timetable, not ours. Just because one starts giving to God, does not mean debt will instantly disappear. It does not mean that financial difficulty will become ‘a thing of the past’. He will honor His promises. God does not change. We have to change to be ‘ready’ to receive the gifts He promises.

I had to change before I could truly Appreciate God’s blessings.
I had to learn good stewardship.
I had to learn Biblical principles of financial management.
I had to unlearn unwise spending habits.
I had to re-learn how to spend money.
I had to learn how sneaky and seductive debt slavers (creditors) were.
I had to learn to rely on God to meet my needs.
I had to learn contentment.

Getting the increase in material wealth (as promised) before I learned these lessons and changed my attitude and behavior would have been like ‘pearls before swine’.

God honored His promises to me; but not before I was ready.
I am still not perfect. Rarely does a day go by that I am not tempted in one way or another to fall back into old ‘habits’. Rarely a day goes by that I am not tempted in some way, big or small, to go back into debt.

Two sayings come to mind,
“Lessons are repeated until they are Learned.”
“No one can out-give God.”

The road will not be easy, but the destination makes the trip worth it.