Debtors Prison

We sold millions of stickers and temporary tattoos. Our sticker vending business was the largest company of it's kind in the Buffalo, N.Y. area. There was lot's of money to be made and we had a blast making that money. One of the stickers we sold was an "Alien Head." I put a sign on the front of the sticker machine that said:

 "If you hold an Alien Sticker up to your ear,
you can hear the sound of space.
If you hold an Alien Sticker up to both ears, 
you can hear the sound of space between your ears!"

For several years business was good and then we financed the purchase of additional machinery. The opportunity for expansion was alluring. Other vendors saw our success with sticker machines and the competition began. It was either grow or lose business. We financed our expansion and business grew. Then the bottom dropped out. A nation wide company came in and purchased most of the major bowling alleys in the Buffalo area. They brought in a nationwide vendor. We were told to pack up our newly financed equipment and leave. It was catastrophic financially as well as devastating to our family. Several years later, what remained of the business was sold at a great loss - nowhere near enough to pay what we owed. We had become incarcerated by credit or a servant to the lender. The wisdom gained through that failure is:

 "Whenever  possible pay cash.
Be patient, plan and save until you have enough to make a purchase.
Do not spend yourself into a position of financial insolvency." 

Today's Wise Saying is from Proverbs 22:26-27.

Proverbs 22:26-27

New International Version (NIV)

Saying 4

²⁶ Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge
    or puts up security for debts;
²⁷ if you lack the means to pay,
    your very bed will be snatched from under you.

Proverbs 22:26-27

The Message (MSG)

3

^26-27 Don’t gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,
    hocking your house against a lucky chance.
The time will come when you have to pay up;
    you’ll be left with nothing but the shirt on your back.

Proverbs 22:26-27

Amplified Bible (AMP)

²⁶ Be not one of those who strike hands and pledge themselves, or of those who become security for another’s debts.

²⁷ If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take your bed from under you?

Proverbs 22:26-27

King James Version (KJV)

²⁶ Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.
²⁷ If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

In a sense, we shook hands with the bankers who lent us the money to expand our business. I gave them part of my life in exchange for money. I've seen many other people become slaves to the need for money. Addictions cause people to sell their soul. Prostitutes - both male and female walk the streets of our city. Human traffickers sell human beings for money. Children are bought and sold as slaves.because the love of money has caused an erosion of compassion. People have become pledges for debts. What is our responsibility as a compassionate people in regards to those who have been enslaved by lack of money?

You have lost everything and you now live on the street. This is the front entrance to your home. There is no need to shovel your sidewalk and there is no driveway. You don't bother with gardening because you won't live here long enough to see anything grow. Your new bed was found on the side of the road in a pile of trash and it doubles as the wall of your home. Your windows have lights behind them and offer little illumination into your dark home. You don't have a garbage can so your own garbage is littered around and in your home. You do not have a bathroom. You do not bathe and you relieve yourself wherever. You hear the sound of laughter coming from behind the windows with light. You don't remember what laughter is or maybe you never did.

 Our government routinely creates more opportunities for addiction that leads to a type of debtors prison. Casinos are being built all over the country beckoning gamblers into a potential addiction. The New York State Lottery advertises: "A Dollar and a Dream!" We are told to avoid debt and yet our government leaders provide a step ladder into a financial hole. Make a plan to pay off debt and stay out of debt. Don't be afraid to ask for help through financial counseling. Ask God to help you with a financial plan. If you already are in healthy financial standing, can you help somebody who is not? A gift from God is meant to be reciprocal - share it! We may not all be called to be financially wealthy but I believe that God does intend for us to have enough provision to focus on loving Him and our neighbors.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.