payment Archives - Live Debt Free

There are many ways to reduce costs in our every day lives, so to help do just that each Monday I will post a money saving “Tip of the Week”.

“And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.” Luke 19:17

This weeks tip involves…reasons NOT TO USE automatic bill payments.

Automatic bill payment can be one of the best ways to repair bad credit and is a very good thing 90% of the time. It is the other 10% I would like to focus on today!

Do I Use Automatic Bill Pay?

You may be wondering if I use automatic payments for my bills. The answer to that question is…sometimes, but seldom. Actually the only bill that I have automatically taken out of my bank account each month is the payment for my 1st mortgage. I participate with auto payment for my mortgage because I know the amount will be the same each month; not to mention the fact that I have a lot of faith in my Capital One 360 banking system (they will not take the money out unless I have it in my account – hence NO Fees!).

I have a few reasons why I choose not to be a frequent user of the auto debit bill phenomenon each of which are all most likely related to the fact that I am a control freak when my finances are involved (which is a good thing). However, the most important reason I still pay most bills manually is because BILL COMPANIES AIN’T PERFECT. That’s right…I said “ain’t”.

What Happened To Me?

A few weeks ago my April Consumers Energy bill came in the mail, so I did like I do with all my bills & threw it in the trash. Just kidding, though I sure would like to sometimes…what ever happened to getting hand written letters from friends in the mail??? Never mind. After looking the bill over for just a few seconds I was surprised at the high amount & immediately suspicious. Since March was not that cold we ran our furnace (our largest monthly cost) much less often than in February, yet our bill was more expensive. Considering I do know utility companies will sometimes take “estimated readings” I immediately called them to give them a “more accurate reading” (the dirty dogs). The woman assured me the reading was an actual reading, so I encouraged her check for the accuracy of the reading. Sure enough, after a closer look she reported that there was an error in the reading and assured me it would be fix it immediately. The savings to me? Nearly $120!

The Moral of the Story

If you use automatic bill paying features, MAKE SURE you check each & every bill for accuracy. Though it may not happen every month, you may be surprised how many times there is a Monopoly type “banking error in your favor”. Pass go, collect $200!

Click here to see all our past DFA Tips of the Week.

DFA is passionately dedicated to helping others break the bondage of debt using biblical principles.

Since we are always talking about debt and the repayment thereof, I would like to spend a little time today discussing the debt our sin creates, if that debt can be paid, and more importantly how that debt can be paid.

Whether you are a Christian or not history shows that a man named Jesus of Nazareth lived and died around year zero. History also shows that Jesus was a great prophet who performed many miracles, has many faithful followers, and did indeed disappear from the tomb on the 3rd day after His death (Happy belated Easter).

Let us now examine His life, His death, and this notion that He died as payment for our sin debt.

The Debt Owed

In the Old Testament Eve was tempted by the serpent into eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eve ate of the tree, then gave to Adam to eat and sin occurred. Sin occurred because God had told Adam he could eat of all trees except the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). The disobedience of Adam & Eve was sin. Sin caused the fall of man and created separation between man and God.

This establishes that even one sin in the life of any man will cause him to become separated from God. This separation exists because God is Holy and cannot have fellowship in the presence of sin. Thus our fellowship with God is broken and the separation is created. The bible rightfully states that all have sinned. Let’s take a moment to consider our own lives, examine our own sin, and understand that according to the bible we are all indeed separated from God because of our sin. That separation caused by sin is the debt owed.

Following the fall of man through sin, the Old Testament delivers a clear message that a blood sacrifice is needed for the atonement of sin and for the reconciliation of man to God. This is why the Jewish people practiced animal sacrifice in their temple.

The Foreshadowing of Payment

Since God requires a blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin, He instituted the rituals of animal sacrifice through the law He delivered to Moses. Does the blood of animals cover the sin of man? Simply put, no, it does not. The rituals of animal sacrifice The Lord instituted through the law of Moses were only meant to be a picture of the necessary sacrifice yet to come. That necessary sacrifice was the blood sacrifice of a man. However, since God cannot accept the blood sacrifice of a man who has sinned even once, therein lies the problem that no son of Adam can bridge this gap between man and God.

Enter Jesus of Nazareth.

Who Can Make Payment?

As told by the Holy Bible, Jesus had no human father but His Father is the Spirit of God Himself as told in Luke 1:34-35:

“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Jesus existed long before He was born of Mary, in fact the bible says that He has always existed. He was simply incarnated when He was born of Mary. Jesus is then both God and human. His Father is God Almighty, and His mother is Mary; because Jesus had no earthly father He is not of the seed or race of Adam, but is still a man because He was born of a woman. Jesus then is of the race of God the Father, making it possible for Him to live life without sin. The Godly heritage of Jesus is what makes Him the only one whose blood can atone for the sin of man.

The animal sacrifice introduced in the law of the Old Testament was always a picture (a foreshadowing) of how Jesus would come to this earth, would bleed, and would die as a sacrifice for the sin of all mankind. Jesus is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.

The Payment Itself

The most amazing part of the bible, and the part that causes men to flock to Christ once their eyes are open to the sheer depth & breadth of what He accomplished, is His willing & sacrificial, though brutal death.

The scripture & law exist to show us our need for atonement and reconciliation to God. The more we read the bible, the more we will see how far we fall short of the glory of God. However, the good news is that we can be justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth is indeed Jesus the Christ. He came to this earth and sacrificially gave His life as an atonement for our sin that we may be reconciled to God. Jesus paid the ultimate price for sin when He willingly laid down His life for the sin debt!

That is the good news my friend!

Our Leadership Example

Today we will define true leadership as “the process of social influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”, and to further define leadership Alan Keith of Genentech said “Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.”

In death Jesus showed us how to lead. Consider the type of leader you would follow. I would wager to say you would most passionately follow someone who was willing to die for your common cause. What is your cause? What is your purpose in life? What will people say about you after your life is over?

What About You?

What do you want people to say about you after you die? If you died today, would people say what you want them to say? If not, then use this information as an excuse to reevaluate your purpose in life. Consider your end and come up with a few ultimate goals that you want to accomplish before your life is over, then break those goals down into achievable chunks and pursue them and be willing to die for them!

My goals in life and the things I want said about me long after this life are these:

Matt Jabs loved the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind.
Matt Jabs loved his neighbor as himself.
Matt Jabs was passionate about helping others love God.

I have broken that down into the following attainable tasks:

Use my God given gifts to introduce and expound the glorious gospel of Christ to as many as possible
Help others become debt free using biblical principles
Help churches & bible non-profits develop a strong web outreach ministry

What are your goals in life? How do you plan to use your gifts to accomplish your goals?

DFA exists to help you become debt free. If there is something you like or dislike; something you would like to see more of or less of, no matter how trivial it may seem to you, please let us know. The best way for us to improve for your liking is to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. If you have been reading but have never commented, I encourage you to do so now.

Automatic Bill Pay Concerns – DFA Tip of the Week – 4/20/2009