On Debt and Living for Yeshua

This has been a very enlightening discussion and has led me to do some more research into the question of debt. Here is what I have found. In of itself debt is not a sin, but it is a form of servanthood. Being in debt is not a desired state for the believer. Now Triton and Geppy have pointed out that short-term debt (defined as 30 days or less) can be used a method of budgeting. I can see their point, but I think that proper budgeting can prevent the need for ever having to use short term debt. I digress, as this is not what I am writing about.

My point has more to do with my calling. If I am a servant of the Most High G_d, and I preach a message of freedom in Him is it not hypocritical of me to turn around and sell as a lifestyle of financial servitude? Face it, credit card companies do not make money when people pay off their credit cards each month. The idea is to keep the customer in a continuous cycle of debt. 

 

Pondering a Moral Question

While I know what my course of action is going to be. I wonder if I have grounds for more than simply resigning my position with Sears. Here is the thing. Working in a sales position we have a number of metrics we are graded on to determine if we are performing our job. 95% of those metrics I have no problem with. Selling installation, protection agreements, and accessories, are all part of the job, but one has been troubling for me since day one. That is the very active pushing of the Sears credit card. Up until now it has been only a sideline issue because I am good at all the other things. The new manager they hired for our group is cracking down on ALL metrics per the instructions of the general manager. Basically if we do not keep up on our metrics and are down two months in a row on any one metric we will be fired. Since starting there I think I have had one maybe two months total I have been up to spec on credit. The main reason is I refuse to SELL credit. It is morally repugnant to me. My main problem is I have not found a tenet in our faith that says it is sinful to be in debt. I have only seen where it is considered unwise. I have seen the damage that can be caused by consumer debt, and cannot be an active party to someone potentially destroying their life financially just to buy a lawn mower, treadmill, or a power tool. The "just have to have it NOW" mentality is fueled by consumer credit cards that charge massive amounts of interest, making it difficult at best for those caught in the trap to ever get out. This can destroy families just as assuredly as drugs, adultery, alcohol, or a number of other social problems can. As someone who believes in protecting the family from these types of ills I cannot continue to work for Sears if they make it an issue. Just kind of wondering if it could be considered religious discrimination.

On Legalism

For making
the suggestion that the student in question in the previous post could have
been a much better witness going through proper channels I have been accused of
being legalistic. How, pray tell, is that the case?  It seem that I get accused of hauling out the
blinders of legalism every time I even suggest that there may be a better way
of doing things, or that something that is held up as good and righteous may
not be what it is made out to be. My friends that is not legalism in any way
shape or form. Legalism is the practice of making salvation based upon the
works that you do. I abhor this. It is not biblical and is not why Yeshua came.
The fact is that churches that practice legalism do more to hurt the church
than they do to bring people to Yeshua. Salvation is by grace alone, once you
have accepted Yeshua’s gift you can never loose it.

 
The fact of
the matter is that our salvation is more than simply fire insurance. Salvation
is the death of our self and the beginning of a new life in Him. We are saved
unto works not by our works. Once we have given our life to Yeshua we are to
keep His commandments, this was how He said we would show our love for Him.
Does this mean that somehow we loose our love for Him or that we loose our
salvation if we fail? Even the suggestion of such a thing is absurd. It simply
is a point in our lives to learn. We pick ourselves up, sometimes with the help
of friends, dust ourselves off, ask forgiveness and continue on in our walk
with Him.  The Bible refers to this
process as the working out of our salvation.  
We should always be looking for ways to improve our relationship with
Him. Sometimes that information will come from our brethren. Iron sharpening
iron is the phrase that comes to mind. Yet sometimes I get the feeling we are
never to say anything to a brother concerning his walk. That would be judgmental,
intolerant, or just plain unloving. I ask this one last question. What is more
loving, warning someone before they fall off the cliff or letting them continue
on their way even though we know there are sharp rocks at the bottom?

 

The Silent Witness

I have
been reading and participating in a discussion over at Heidi's over
the subject of home schooling vs. government schooling. The one
thing that keeps coming up and has got me thinking is concerning what
I call the silent witness. The one parent that has sent (and is a
strong proponent of) government education has consistently asked that
if we take all of the Christian children and home educate them when
will the other children hear about Jesus. The discussion went on to
discuss the fact that Christians, both students and teachers are
effectively muzzled by the government bureaucracy, so essentially
what witness they have is silent, and actions only. So here is my
question. Does it really work? Are people truly influenced to Yeshua
simply by our actions or do they need to hear the why behind our
actions as well? How people interpret our actions is my problem
here. How is a kind action seen as any more than a kind action. We
all are capable of making them without Yeshua in our lives. So what
makes the difference? What makes the person ask why?

The
whole concept of the silent witness bothers me. All we have to do is
show them how wonderful we are and they will come running and begging
to know why we are. That is not the great commission, it is a cop
out. The great commission tells us to take the message out to the
world, to TELL them of His love, His mercy, His grace, His sacrifice,
and His provision. I see nothing about hiding it until we are asked
why we are the way we are. I know I have been quite guilty of this
quite a bit especially at work, but things like this make me think
twice about staying silent.

I cannot
help but see this simply as the starting point. In order for a person
to understand the need for Yeshua's sacrifice and His love it will
have to be shared in words. If a teacher has his or her hands tied at
work, and students are consistently pushed to water down what they
say, how will the lost learn? How do we determine if our actions are
the right ones? The example given left me wanting and is what
prompted this post. A student skips school because he finds out that
Planned Parenthood is coming, and then tells his father why he
skipped school. This is touted as a strong witness. I am not
convinced. First he broke a rule, rather than go through the system.
I know there are ways to opt out for religious convictions. How is
this a strong witness? His classmates did not see an act of faith
they saw an act of defiance and lack of respect for authority with
religious conviction used as an excuse. How is that a good witness?
What did his classmates learn? Did they see Yeshua, or did they see
someone breaking the rules and getting away with it?

I hope
there is someone out there that can enlighten me.