"Determined to 'take it with him' when he died, a very rich man prayed until finally the Lord gave in. There was one condition: he could bring only one suitcase of his wealth. The rich man decided to fill the case with gold bullion. The day came when God called him home. St. Peter greeted him, but told him he couldn't bring his suitcase. 'Oh, but I have an agreement with God,' the man explained. 'That's unusual,' said St. Peter. 'Mind if I take a look?' The man opened the suitcase to reveal the shining gold bullion. St. Peter was amazed. ' Why in the world would you bring pavement?'" (Rev. Warren Keating from The Joyful Noiseletter)

Read that in an old Reader's Digest a while back. Gave me a chuckle. A reminder to be careful about keeping things in perspective. My christian life programs brochure quotes "What man thinks important, God holds in contempt" (Luke 16:15 NAB). We think gold (money) is so important we behave as if we have it even when we don't. And that gets us into all sorts of trouble. Which leads me to what I wanted to start off with today.

"When the Lord your God has blessed you, as he promised you, you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you." (Deuteronomy 15:6 NRSV)

That quote from the Bible is but one of many where God instructed Israel not to borrow. It was OK to lend (but not at interest to fellow Israelites) because that made you the "head and not the tail." But to borrow made you a slave. Not a wise choice. Still isn't.

I have to laugh at times though. A couple of years back I listened for half an hour to a radio broadcast by a relatively well known Christian financial advisor. He spent most of that time speaking against using credit, citing both Scripture, and current modern practical examples. At the end of the program the announcer came on with "if you'd like a copy of today's broadcast you may obtain one for $XX by simply calling 1-800-XXX-XXXX, have your MasterCard or Visa ready." Hmmm?

Now there is nothing "sinful" about credit or borrowing. But it still makes you a slave today. I made a new business card (enclosed) which describes me as a "simplicity teacher". Seemed as good a title as any to tell what I do. A lot of people are interested in simplifying their lives. Many of you are I know. The single best "worldly" step you can take if you really want to simplify your life is to stop using credit. Period. No kidding. It can be done. I've done it. Others I know have too. They also testify to the significant impact it has on your peace of mind. Want to simplify? Give it a try. Or maybe, just do it!