Buy Now, Pay Later

The borrower is servant to the lender.

Proverbs 22:7

One of my favorite Popeye characters is Wimpy, who will gladly pay on Tuesday for a hamburger today. Perhaps the reason I like Wimpy is because he reminds me that the buy now, pay later system which is so prevalent in our society is not just about money. Buy now, pay later is really an invitation to enjoy immediate gratification without immediate consequences. Unlike cash and carry, where we are required to give careful consideration to the cost of our purchases, easy credit separates us from our need to pay the piper. And, in so doing, it makes us more vulnerable to sin. Buy now, pay later teaches us we can enjoy that hamburger today—and not have to pay for it until Tuesday. Consequently, immediate gratification becomes devoid of immediate cost. Our buy now, pay later mentality even convinces us that Tuesday may never come.

But, in spite of our wishful thinking, pay up Tuesday always rolls around eventually. Like Wimpy’s hamburger and those plastic purchases we make on our credit cards, our indulgences provide immediate gratification with a bill that comes later—usually with compound interest. One of the delusions of immediate gratification is that we seldom suffer the consequence of today’s sin today. Yet, even though the cost of sin is usually delayed, it always comes with a higher price tag than we imagined. Buy now, pay later was one of the devil’s wiles long before businesses adopted the credit system that keeps the borrower a servant to the lender. Wimpy would gladly pay on Tuesday for the hamburger he would enjoy today. Satan invites us to do the same. He knows that buy now, pay later is part of the world’s system that keeps us enslaved to sin.

If there was ever a Popeye episode when Tuesday came and Wimpy paid his debt, I missed it. But one look at Wimpy’s blimpy body tells the real story of paying on Tuesday for the hamburger he wanted to enjoy today. Unfortunately, when we adopt his eat now and pay later mentality, our body tells the same sad tale. Today’s extra portions are compounded by tomorrow’s indulgence, and soon we are paying the high cost of health problems we didn’t consider when we ate more than our food plan allowed. Not only does our health suffer, but our relationship with God suffers too. We may delude ourselves into believing that God operates on a buy now pay later system; nevertheless, in our Master’s economy, we are called to give an on-the-spot accounting for our actions.

Today is the day to do things differently. This is the day to resist the temptation to give in to Wimpy’s weakness and find pleasure in a hamburger today that you will gladly pay for on Tuesday, no matter what form this indulgence takes in your life. Tuesday’s cost will undoubtedly be much more than you bargained for—with compound interest.

It is important not only to recognize false needs,

but also to see why they are false.

~~Thomas Merton

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A Question to Ponder: “Like Wimpy’s hamburger and those plastic purchases we make on our credit cards our indulgences provide immediate gratification with a bill that comes later—usually with compound interest.” In what area of your life are you adopting Wimpy’s buy now, pay later philosophy? And what is the ultimate price you will pay for your faulty thinking?

A Prayer to Offer: Today, O Lord, is the day I hear your voice—and today is the day I am called to respond in believing obedience. Yet I am so prone to indulge in today’s pleasures without considering tomorrow’s cost—especially when it comes to practicing the loving self-care that I know pleases you. Help me to be mindful of the devil’s schemes that tell me I can go outside of your will today without reaping the consequences of my disobedience tomorrow. Forgive me for putting off until tomorrow what you call me to do today. You give me daily bread, you bear my burdens daily, your mercies are new every morning, and you give me strength for the challenges of today. Help me to savor this day you have made for my enjoyment without foolishly believing I can indulge in forbidden fruit today and not pay the price, plus interest, tomorrow. You are the Giver of all good gifts. Today I will delight in your abundant supply. I am thankful that Jesus paid the ultimate price so that I can now be in a right relationship with you. Amen.

An Action Step to Take: Play the tape through! Think of a way in which you are tempted to enjoy today and pay tomorrow. Now envision the high price tag that hamburger really comes with. Consider the cost before you act!

Keep your lives free from the love of money

and be content with what you have.