Motive Power

(Proverbs 11:15 KJV)  He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.

One of the issues with loaning money is motivation.  I am at a point where I don’t “loan” money.  I might give it to someone and encourage them to pay me back but I don’t loan it because I am sure I am not getting it back.  To some people, like my students, I tell them that I will be glad to loan them a dime when the guy I loaned one to in 7th grade pays me back.

What is destructive as a motivation is speculation.  Often people will “invest” in get-rich-quick schemes.  They think they are clever enough to make a big profit based on being smarter than everyone else.  What often results is a lesson in stupidity.  The Bible has no problem with honest business.  It encourages hard work.  Wealth can be a blessing.  It all depends on how you get it and whether it is done in righteousness or by cutting corners.

So?  Financial success can cost you your soul.  It can destroy your family.  It can drive away your friends.  It can also be the way in which God makes it possible for you to serve Him.  Examine your priorities and methods.