Borrowing from Tomorrow - Martin Wiles

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5b NLT

When your outgo is greater than your income, your upkeep will be your downfall.

How well we knew. My wife and I had experienced several financial setbacks during our marriage, but none as bad as the one we plowed through after I resigned from one of my two full-time jobs. Doing so meant taking a walk of faith neither of us had traveled before. Our outgo outpaced our income. From a math standpoint, disaster awaited.

We’d had charge cards for emergencies before, but we had since destroyed them. A local advance payday financial institution became our best friend. Sure, we had to cough up a high-interest rate in extra money to borrow, but we didn’t know of any other way. Family and friends—and our church—helped us out on numerous occasions. We gave God the credit.

My granddaddy called what we did robbing Peter to pay Paul. Others call it living on tomorrow’s money. Thousands do it. Sometimes doing so is necessary. When we’ve made poor financial decisions and are trying to get out of the hole. Or when others—such as a spouse—have made decisions for us and we’re left holding the entire financial bag.

Borrowing isn’t evil. Sometimes it’s necessary for big-ticket items such as cars and houses. When we must borrow, having a good credit rating helps. It may determine whether or not we get the money, and it certainly determines the interest rate. Checking with God before we borrow is always wise.

Poor decisions—or poor decisions by others that affect us—can destroy a squeaky clean credit record, causing us to weep in the night. Building it back may take a lifetime, if then. But one thing others can’t steal is our joy. The psalmist knew that, and so did Paul when he said, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Others may steal our possessions, our good credit rating, our career, or our good reputations, but they cannot steal our joy. When we’re going through tough times, we can borrow joy from tomorrow. Tomorrow provides another chance for new opportunities. And if tomorrow isn’t enough, eternity will be. In heaven, nothing will steal our joy. We can live with eternity in mind.

If someone or something is stealing your joy today, borrow tomorrow’s joy.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the joy that comes from knowing our sins have been forgiven and our eternal home is prepared.

Tweetable: Are you borrowing from tomorrow?

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