Need vs. Greed

Comedy character “Larry the Cable Guy”, whom you may recognize better as “Mater the Tow Truck” from Pixar’s “Cars” (wow, that was a lot of quotations…) also did a series of commercials in the 2010’s for a heartburn pill.  The big excitement for this pill was not only that it reportedly did what it was supposed to do but it was also “wild berry flavored!” His synopsis in this specific commercial is absolutely priceless. PLEASE watch it; it’s only 30 seconds:

“We don’t just make things you want; we make things you didn’t even know you wanted!”

This week we step into our second principle for healthy money habits: Avoid debt. That may sound like a “well, duh” statement…until our neighbors all have new iPhones …that they are using to take pictures …of their shiny new boats that they’re riding in …on the lake by their summer cabin…and we think “Hey, I really deserve a break too!” So we pull out our plastic promise-makers and convince ourselves, “I just need this right now.”  Or it may be smaller than that. Gotta have my special coffee or that fast snack in the afternoon; maybe it’s “I wouldn’t usually buy this, but come on! I mean,  triple points??”

It’s not right if you have to justify it. It’s not really yours if you have to borrow it.

Do I need it, or do I greed it?

That’s the question we are asking this week and beyond. Examining our hearts to be sure we are living the joyful, abundant life Jesus is calling us to; because no matter what our intentions, we simply can not live an abundant and gracious life as long as we are chained to debt.