Have you ever equated being debt free with godliness? I have and I’m realizing the foolishness in trying to do that kind of math.

Life is messy. Things break all the time. If your goal in life is to get to a point where nothing breaks and you always have money in the bank to cover every emergency, I’m afraid you’ll live a life of perpetual frustration.

The Bible talks about the dangers of debt, but I think it talks about the dangers of loving money a lot more. And you can love money even when your bank account isn’t flush. Loving money is about making money your master, serving it and obeying its demands. Loving money means looking to it for security. A goal of being debt free can be your master.

It’s a worthy goal to be debt free but if that goal drives you to be miserly, unkind, frustrated and discontent I think you’ve gotten off track.

1 Timothy 6:6 talks about the gain we get when we combine godliness and contentment. Hebrews chapter 13 talks about keeping ourselves free from the love of money and being content realizing that God will never leave us or forsake us.

Being debt free is a good thing and a worthy goal, but life happens. Cars break down, knees get injured and need surgery. Sometimes it seems these messy things come in waves and we’re tempted to complain and say it’s not fair. “Why can’t I ever get ahead?!”

I think our perspective is wrong. Getting ahead? What does that mean? Is that our goal, to get to a point in this life where we’re fat and happy surrounded by all the shiny things of this world?

Godliness with contentment is great gain, no matter what your bank account says, because we came into this world with nothing and we will leave this world with nothing.

Being debt free doesn’t always equate to godliness. But being content no matter our circumstances always does.