Labeling Others and Debt

It is easier to label someone than face the truth!

“To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners (Luke 7:31-34).”’One of the most often used techniques to avoid engaging with people we don’t agree with is to label them. Labels give us the ability to dismiss others, keep us in our comfort zone, stoke our pride and, in many cases, keep us ignorant of the truth. As a Christian with a conservative worldview, those opposed to my beliefs might label me as a member of the “vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.” Perhaps, I might be guilty of calling them members of the “Far Left,” amongst other things. Regardless, when this is done, it prevents any form of dialogue and diminishes the conversation to mud-slinging, slurs, stereotypes and demonization, all geared towards silencing the other party. 

 One reason this happens is because we don’t want to defend our positions for fear that we really don’t know what we believe and that our position is wrong. There are even times when we are presented with the truth, know it is the truth, but still won’t allow ourselves to be taught it because of the personal price we might pay in terms of  our friends, family, political and religious beliefs, etc. John the Baptist was a prophet who proclaimed Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Yet, he was labeled as being demon-possessed. Then you have Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, arrive on the scene. He “cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind (Luke 7:21).” But, even with all this miraculous evidence, His opponents labeled Him as a glutton, a drunkard and a friend of tax-collectors and sinners. In other words, forget the undeniable evidence, dismiss Him so we do not have to look at ourselves, question what we believe and respond to what is being presented to us. Jesus Christ said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).” If people can deny the truth of Jesus Christ when it is staring them in the face and label Him as a “sinner,” it should serve as a lesson to teach us how to deal with those who disagree with us.  

We are spending tomorrow's money today.

 “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7).” One of the problems we see in the United States, and perhaps the world, is the misconception surrounding “Home Ownership.” In this political season, one of the main topics is the amount of people whose homes are going into foreclosure and who have lost their homes. Working in the lending business myself, one of the questions I ask applicants is, “Do you own your home or do you pay rent?” When someone says they own, what they mean is that they have a mortgage. That is not home ownership! If paying a mortgage was home ownership, then there would not be a mortgage to be foreclosed on or a home to lose. The fact is that the mortgage company owns that home. Therefore, people with all these mortgages are in effect slaves to their lenders. We have a culture built on debt. We have spent tomorrow’s money today. 

When we are in debt, our entire lives revolve around servicing that debt. It can get to the point where we cannot live like we would want to because we are trapped in the hole of debt. Nobody likes to be a slave and when we are slaves all we want is to be free. When the Bible says the borrower is the servant to the lender, it is effectively saying that the borrower works for the lender. How true is that? This is especially noticeable when a person falls behind on their debt. The fear that everything will be lost leads to all manner of behaviors; avoiding phone calls, trying to make payment options with lenders, working extra jobs, filing bankruptcy, skipping out on the debt, etc. The Bible says, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8).” When you love someone with the love that can only come from faith in Jesus Christ, it is a debt you will happily pay. Two aspects of God’s love are forgiveness and patience. These are two things a lender does not possess in great amounts. They want their money and your credit will suffer in the process. However, when others are sinning against you it is they who need the love of God which reveals itself through such things as forgiveness and patience. You will be able to “afford” this debt because you will be receiving God’s forgiveness and patience.