How can we establish ourselves as a credible person when it comes to borrowing money? How can we get to the point that our credit rating is high? Oddly enough, it is not by being in debt. It is not by just managing our financial obligations each month—though that is a good thing. Maurice Switzer wrote, “The best way of establishing your credit is to work yourself into a position of not needing any.”

Credit is obtaining money with a promise to repay. Credit cards, for example, have allowed our debts to skyrocket. Uncontrolled credit is one of the reasons for our huge economic woes today. The Bible reminds us that the borrower is the servant of the lender (Proverbs 22:7). Live within your means and stay out of debt—that makes you a “good risk” in credit establishment terms. You can have that good reputation without being a debtor.