Proverbs 22:7 (NKJV) The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is a servant to the lender.
Most people would agree that taking a loan to buy the first property is acceptable, but if we purchase a property whose mortgage is beyond our ability to service, we have become slaves to the lender. Likewise, if we get ourselves into a position where we are asset-rich but cash-poor because of all our investments, our marriage will be strained if one person is made redundant and fails to contribute to the monthly instalments.
Every time we take out a loan, we will have to work doubly hard, especially when it is taken from an overdraft or by using credit cards whose repayment interest can be as high as 25%. Therefore, a couple might want to decide after marriage not to live on credit but to pay off their credit card expenses every month.
1 Timothy 6:6-7 (NKJV) Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
Because the world has given us a definition of success and self-worth, we can be caught in a rat race. There is a significant emphasis on lifestyle—restaurants where we eat, hotels where we stay, airlines and the classes that we fly—and our appearance, where youthfulness is pursued through aesthetic medicine or plastic surgery.
We can be Christians but live very discontented lives because of the wrong values indoctrinated by the world. Our discontentment can affect our families too if both parents become “little adults” by putting their wants before the needs of their children. Even though all our needs are met, we can be dissatisfied with our current financial situation, and some of these pursuits of significance have caused believers to live beyond their budgets.
Christian parents who want to influence their children positively must first renew their minds regarding their values. Otherwise, they will subtly place the pursuit of success above godliness, such that they and their children become no different from the people of the world. Sometimes, even when the business is struggling and a spouse has lost their job, the other spouse may demand the same lifestyle, straining the relationship. Such a couple has entered a disenchantment period because of creature comfort, contractual marriage, and carnality. Instead, when the going gets tough, a godly couple who views marriage as a covenant should sit down and rework their budgets, taking the opportunity to list out the needs and eliminate the wants.
When we live in contentment, the family will have peace, love, and joy. When we are convinced that we can never bring anything with us into eternity and put godliness above worldly goods and the world’s definition of self-worth, we will be willing to adjust our lifestyle when necessary. That is godliness with contentment.
Sermon Series：Before You Say I Do (Lesson 11 Finances)
敬虔加上知足
箴言 22:7 富户管辖穷人；欠债的是债主的仆人
多数人会同意以贷款形式购买第一套房产是可以接受的。但如果我们购买的房产抵押贷款超出我们的偿还能力，我们就成了贷款方的奴隶。同样，如果我们因为投资而陷入资产丰富但现金缺乏的境地，一旦被解雇而无法支付每月的分期付款，我们婚姻就会变得紧张。
每次我们贷款举债时，我们都必须加倍努力工作，尤其是当贷款是透支或使用还款利息高达25%的信用卡时。因此，夫妇可能应该决定在婚后不靠信用卡生活，而是每月偿清信用卡费用。
提摩太前书 6:6-7 然而，敬虔加上知足的心便是大利了；因为我们没有带什么到世上来，也不能带什么去。
因为这个世界给了我们成功和自我价值的定义，我们可能会陷入疯狂的竞争。我们非常强调生活方式—我们吃饭的餐馆、住宿的酒店、航空公司和我们舱位的等级—以及我们的外表，通过医美或整形手术来追求年轻。
我们可以是基督徒，但由于世界灌输的错误价值观而过着非常不满足的生活。如果父母双方都成为“不愿长大的未成年人”把自己的需求放在孩子的需求之前，我们的不满足也会影响我们的家庭。尽管我们所有的需求都得到了满足，但我们仍然可能会对目前的财务状况感到不满，其中一些对高大上的追求导致信徒的生活超出了他们的预算。
想要积极影响孩子的基督徒父母必须首先更新他们自己的价值观。否则，他们会不知不觉地将追求成功置于敬虔之上，这样他们和他们的孩子就与属世的人没有什么不同。有时，即使当生意陷入困境，配偶一方失去了工作，另一方也可能要求同样的生活方式，从而使关系紧张。由于对物质舒适的追求、契约式婚姻和肉体欲望，他们进入了一段幻灭期。相反的，当情况变得艰难时，一对将婚姻视为盟约的敬虔夫妇应该坐下来重新制定预算，抓住机会列出生活所需并除去不必要的需求。
当我们知足地生活，这个家庭就会有平安，爱和喜乐。当我们确信我们永远无法将任何东西带入永恒，并将敬虔置于世俗物品和世界对自我价值的定义之上时，我们会愿意在必要时调整我们的生活方式。这就是敬虔加上知足。
讲章系列：走上红毯前（第十一课 财务）
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