Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 139

May 19;   I Timothy 5:8;   195/260(I);   ‘Family Provision’

1 Timothy 5:8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.     NIV

I Corinthians 6:19-20 teaches that we are not our own.  Once we become a Christian, we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.  It may not be right, but it is true, that others will judge the Lord Jesus based on our conduct.  Having a job, working diligently to provide for your family, is very important since the Word of God specifically speaks of this in this verse.  Proverbs teaches the virtue, necessity and importance of hard work.  A strong work ethic, doing our work as unto the Lord and not men are spoken of as godly traits.  Honesty, integrity, a positive attitude, helping those you work with reflect powerfully on the Lord Jesus Christ as you do your work as unto the Lord.  Your coworkers cannot help but be impressed with your Christ like character and diligence.  They may not understand you initially, but as you keep living in a way that glorifies Jesus, it makes a powerful impact on the unsaved.  Failing or not willing to provide for your family reflects a denial of the Christian faith that we profess to have.  We have basic obligations to care for our loved ones, provide food and shelter for them and meet all of our financial responsibilities.  The Bible clearly teaches that the Lord will meet our needs, but that does not mean that we are to do nothing on our part for the Lord to work with, in order for Him to supply those needs.  Even the unsaved know the need to work to provide for their families.  May it never be said that those who do not know Jesus provide for their families better than we who love Jesus. God’s love in us causes us to care for our family.  It is an honor and biblical to do this