"To Lend or Not To Lend" by: Bro. Malloy Cabahug

Have you been approached by a brethren, a friend, or a relative and asking you "can you lend me a few bucks?" How have you reacted? What was your response?

This scenario is not uncommon to most, if not all of us. In most cases, this type of a scenario ends bitterly as relationship has now shifted to one being a slave to the other. (Proverbs 22:7)

The three common reasons I have observed why a brethren, a friend or a relative borrows:

• To pay-off a maturing obligation from credit cards, bank loan, or worst from loan sharks, while his or her cash will only be available in the next couple or so days.

• To augment the available fund use to pay an item he or she purchased that accordingly is a discount purchase of something he or she thinks a necessity (in most cases are stuff that one can live without like a cellphone) while his or her salary or loan application will not be released until the next couple or so days.

• To be used for a necessity, like an emergency that happens in a family such as, but not limited to purchase of medicine or for hospitalization.

The reasons could be numerous and varied, but will most likely revolve around these general cases. Whatever it falls into one should take extra caution in just pulling out your cash on the wallet and indiscriminately give it to your friend. You may putting friendship as more important than money as you empathized with the need.

However, you might consider another angle on this scenario. Have you not thought that in giving in with their request and lending them with your extra cash, you are just aggravating their problem.

The worst thing you would do is to borrow in order to lend to your friend. Or sign as a guarantor for your friend. But, these things will be discussed in a separate topic soon.

You may consider the following before lending your precious cash, again with the assumption that by doing so will not strain your own budget:

• You are not teaching him or her to get out of debt and manage his or her finances wisely. As you lend to someone to pay off the maturing debts, and once his or her cash is already available your money could either be paid back as promised or payment postponed. If the former case happens, well and good, but remember there will always be next time until the amount borrowed will gradually increase. If the latter case happens, just pray and be ready for the event that such indebtedness will be forgotten due to its continued postponement of payment. In short, you have not dealt the problem, which is the mismanagement of your brethren, friend or relative's finances, worst you have taught him or her to even get into trouble.

• If it is for purchase of a stuff, you are approving of his or her addiction to indiscriminate shopping. You are allowing him or her to purchase some luxurious items, that without it, he or she could still live. Instead, why not advise him or her the virtues of saving.

• As for the third, you may double check on the claim that the money being borrowed is really for a legitimate need. There are a lot of people who are just making up stories for them just to get what they wanted. Your cash. Granting it is a legitimate need as claimed it to be, then by all means, provide help and not a loan. Make sure that the help you will provide will not strain your budget, no more no less.

The next time your brethren, friend or relative would approach you for a loan pause, gather enough information and ask: "to lend or not to lend?"

You may also remember this quote from William Shakespeare in his literary work Hamlet: "neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft losses both itself and friend."

Nobody But You by Bro. Malloy Cabahug

Hmmm...for those who knew the song might have already been singing the tune. I can even sense someone is dancing while singing the tune. What comes to your mind upon reading the title might be the famous danceable song by a Korean girl group, wonder girls.

I may have been singing and dancing with this song the last couple of days with my daughters and in front of my wife. However, a deeper meaning of the phrase kept bugging me for the past week.

I have been consistent with my articles on personal finance every week for quite sometime now. It have been a fixture in the daily newsletter of our church, Word International Ministries - Al Ain (WIN-Al Ain). Some online friends had even featured some of my articles in their weblogs. And a number of personal messages I have been receiving are very encouraging to continue on to come up with more articles about personal finance.

My articles, as well as those of the famous authors and bloggers out there are very encouraging. There are even a lot of books and other multi media materials available out there that will fix your financial woes--that will, as they say, reveal the secrets to become rich and being debt free. But, mind you, these are all inutile if these are only read and not taken to heart.

Taking to heart all these materials available means that you should realize that an overhaul of oneself is necessary to make these materials effective.

This piece you are reading right now is especially addressed to those who are deeply in debt. You may have been seeking for somebody whom you could ask for help, in terms of advice or financial help. There are so many people who are willing to help, but their efforts to help will only aggravate your situation if you will not address the real problem, YOU; and not the lack of money.

I may sound so mean here. But, let me pose these questions:

• who caused you to be deeply in debt?
  
• who used that plastic money called credit card?
  
• who decided to buy a luxury car instead of an ordinary one that could still serve the same purpose?
  
• who bought those unecessary and expensive stuffs that is way beyond one's income?
  
• who went to some place as tourist using credit cards as the means of paying that luxurious vacation and having nothing in your account to payoff the bills after 45 days?

Those list could go on and on and the resounding answer is one and the same. And you answered it correctly. YOU.

The real source of the problem is your attitude towards money and the way you spend it. Hence, there will be no amount of advice, tips and techniques on how to free from debt to take effect without first dealing your attitude.

If you are in debt right now and badly needs help, be it counseling or financing, or a combination of both, please humble yourself and accept the fact that the real problem is not your debts. Not your neighbor. Not your brethren.

Then who? Nobody, but YOU.

Ushering with Excellence

Col 3:23-24 (NIV)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

My family and I would like to congratulate Sis. Beth Montalla Miclat and the WIN – Al Ain Ushering Ministry for another successful year of faithful service to the Lord and His church on their 8^th anniversary. God bless the work of your hands. The Father who sees you in secret will reward you openly.

This year, the ushers of this church has chosen for their theme, “USHERING WITH EXCELLENCE,” based on Colossians 3:23-24. It is their sincerest desire to serve the Lord with zeal and enthusiasm and not just going through the motions of ministry. I am blessed to be partners with them in the ministry for they represent the pastors and council leaders whenever they meet the people coming in to worship the Lord. My prayer for them is that they do their ministry with great joy so that the people will see and hear and put their trust in the Lord through their testimony and example.

If ever there is a need to describe the meaning of service, I will always point the Ushers as prime examples to illustrate this point. Though they meet people in church and guide them into the service yet their motivation is not just to serve men but to serve the Lord. Their service to the Lord is actually reflected in their service to the brethren. This is their calling and mission.

During our worship today I have chosen the song “ NOT TO US.” I dedicate this song not only to the Lord of the harvest but also to our ushers. The words of the song like:

“Equipping us to serve You”

“For humble acts of righteousness, We freely volunteer to do Your work”

“Father You have chosen the weak and the broken for these ones are the vessels through whom You command Your strength”

“Not to us but to You be all the praises Not to us but to the glory of Your grace”

“Not for us but for the honour of Your name”

totally reflect the hearts and lives of our ushers. They are truly “Ambassadors of Reconciliation.”

To serve with excellence is not perfection of actions done but the purity of motivation. Our motivation is to work for the Lord and not just being men-pleasers. If we please God first eventually we will also please men in the process. If so, then we can claim the promise of God’s word that we shall receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

I encourage every believer to be a part of this great ministry. All you need today is a willing heart to serve the Lord. Expect a reward from Him although you may feel that people are not appreciating what you are doing. “It is the Lord Christ you are serving”

May the Lord bless all the servants of God!

Ps Edward, Sis. Marlene, David John and Sally Joy