Proverbs 6:1-5 (NLT)
1 My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger— 2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said— 3 follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. 4 Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. 5 Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.
When I read this monetary debt initially came to mind, but as I continued to think about it, it transitioned to the thought of spiritual debt. I began to think about the unceasing clash between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Holy Spirit that live within us. The Holy Spirit desires for us to be free in Christ Jesus (Galatians 5:1) and no longer conform to the ways of the world but still live in the world (John 17:14).
The world, however, desires to lure us in and get us to "buy" into all the things it has to offer, AKA "debt". The enemy is a master marketer with a "world" of things he would like to sell us, but rest assured he does have limited time! Soon there will be a day when our King comes again, and the things of this world will pass away! All marketing will be gone and only the unsolicited and undeniable Truth will remain! There will be a great feast at the King's table, and the entire family will be invited. We will walk into the restaurant of Heaven and the Angels will be ready to seat The King of Kings, and all of His children will accompany Him to the reservation set for the eternal party of what will likely be millions (Matthew 22:2).
What does this have to do with debt? Well, the enemy wants to encumber us, tie us down, and would love to steal our invitation to the party (John 10:10).
He can't take our seat, but he is currently and will continue to try to see to it that many of those who are invited never accept the invitation. Perhaps the King’s invitation with an RSVP was lost in the fast-paced shuffle of life, or maybe it even sits somewhere in the large pile of "things to do". Sadly, there will be many vacant seats (Luke 14:15-24) despite our Father's desires for all of us to be there (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
As I continued thinking about this, Jesus calling the disciples came to mind. When Jesus called on each of the disciples and told them to "follow me" I don't recall a single one of them saying, "I can't because..."or “OK, but first I need to…”. They were all able and willing to drop what they were doing and followed Him. I began to ask myself, how were they able to follow in an instant, yet
so many others in the Bible wouldn't or couldn't? Perhaps it was because they were living in the world but they weren't rooted in it. Since there was nothing tying them to the world, they were free to instantly answer and move at the call of the One who created it!
Father,
Thank You for Your unfailing love. Thank You for preparing a great celebration for us at Your table in Heaven. Lord, give us the wisdom and strength we need to boldly and confidently erase our name from all the things of this world that would tie us down and hinder us from fulfilling Your will and purpose in our lives. Give us the vision we need to see Your ways and the ears we need to hear Your voice. We love You Lord. Amen!
1 My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger— 2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said— 3 follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. 4 Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. 5 Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.
When I read this monetary debt initially came to mind, but as I continued to think about it, it transitioned to the thought of spiritual debt. I began to think about the unceasing clash between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Holy Spirit that live within us. The Holy Spirit desires for us to be free in Christ Jesus (Galatians 5:1) and no longer conform to the ways of the world but still live in the world (John 17:14).
The world, however, desires to lure us in and get us to "buy" into all the things it has to offer, AKA "debt". The enemy is a master marketer with a "world" of things he would like to sell us, but rest assured he does have limited time! Soon there will be a day when our King comes again, and the things of this world will pass away! All marketing will be gone and only the unsolicited and undeniable Truth will remain! There will be a great feast at the King's table, and the entire family will be invited. We will walk into the restaurant of Heaven and the Angels will be ready to seat The King of Kings, and all of His children will accompany Him to the reservation set for the eternal party of what will likely be millions (Matthew 22:2).
What does this have to do with debt? Well, the enemy wants to encumber us, tie us down, and would love to steal our invitation to the party (John 10:10).
He can't take our seat, but he is currently and will continue to try to see to it that many of those who are invited never accept the invitation. Perhaps the King’s invitation with an RSVP was lost in the fast-paced shuffle of life, or maybe it even sits somewhere in the large pile of "things to do". Sadly, there will be many vacant seats (Luke 14:15-24) despite our Father's desires for all of us to be there (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
As I continued thinking about this, Jesus calling the disciples came to mind. When Jesus called on each of the disciples and told them to "follow me" I don't recall a single one of them saying, "I can't because..."or “OK, but first I need to…”. They were all able and willing to drop what they were doing and followed Him. I began to ask myself, how were they able to follow in an instant, yet
so many others in the Bible wouldn't or couldn't? Perhaps it was because they were living in the world but they weren't rooted in it. Since there was nothing tying them to the world, they were free to instantly answer and move at the call of the One who created it!
Father,
Thank You for Your unfailing love. Thank You for preparing a great celebration for us at Your table in Heaven. Lord, give us the wisdom and strength we need to boldly and confidently erase our name from all the things of this world that would tie us down and hinder us from fulfilling Your will and purpose in our lives. Give us the vision we need to see Your ways and the ears we need to hear Your voice. We love You Lord. Amen!