August 7 -              Finale  

"You must not covet your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor" - Exodus 20:17

I remember reading that one of the sources of debt is the desire that we all have to keep up with the Joneses. The English expression is very much an English idiom it seems. The Swedish and Danish don’t have the expression. Their societies don’t appear to have the need for people to try to be better than others. Neighbours are just that, they are not people to be competed with.

It would appear that British people possess an uncompetitive football team, but competition is alive and well on Acacia Avenue when it comes to consumer goods.

It would appear that when Mrs Smith looks over the fence and notices a new fridge she seems to think that her next door neighbour is better than her. She feels insecure. She feels that her self-image is very low. There is only one apparent solution. I must buy a new American style refrigerator, no matter what the cost.

 Mr. Smith is hardly better. Mr. Smith can’t countenance the thought that his neighbour owns a newer car than he has. There is only one solution. The car salesman is pleased to take some new business from the envious Mr. Smith. They are very happy to take a perfectly good 2 year old car in part exchange for a brand new vehicle.

Most people finance such expenditure from a loan. We all know what loans can do to our lives.

 Might I picture for you a scenario that you might have witnessed? You have heard what SmartStewards have said about reducing debt. You have followed the baby steps to the letter. You have your starter emergency fund in place. You have paid off your debts. Now you are working on enhancing your emergency fund.

 Then your next door neighbour buys a new car and you are sorely tempted. It would only be one loan, not the many loans you had before. Why not give yourself a treat?

 Might I suggest that in order to conquer the desire to take on a new loan a new way of thinking needs to be created. A new mind-set has to be developed.

 That new mind-set ought to be centred around how God views you, not on how you view yourself as you imagine others imaginations about you.

Might I share with you some words from the less often read book, ‘Christ our Saviour’?

Jesus … “taught them to look upon themselves as having precious talents, which if rightly used would gain for them eternal riches. By His own example He taught them that every moment of time is of value, and should be put to some good use. He passed by no human being as worthless, but tried to encourage the roughest and most unpromising. He told them that God loved them as His children, and that they might become like Him in character.”

 There are times when you may be tempted to decide to keep up with the Joneses. Set out instead to keep up with one particular resident of Capernaum. Keep up with Jesus, not the Joneses.