Whose Job IS It?

The answer to the question I am about to ask may seem like a no-brainer at first, but I would like us to dig a little deeper for a moment. The question is this: Men, whose job is it to take care of your family? “Well, duh, Mike I got that one. It is my job to provide for my family.” And you would be right to a point. But is there more to it than that? I submit that Scripture says yes. 

Now, it is true that Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:8 that “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” As husbands and fathers, providing for our families is commanded by God and so we make it a high priority. However, in a very real sense, it is God’s responsibility to provide for us and our families. Stay with me, please. 

Jesus commands and promises us in Matthew 6:33 that we must “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things [food, clothing, shelter] will be added unto you.”  [Emphasis mine]. So, in fact it really is God’s job to provide for us and our families. Now He usually does that by giving us a job or jobs, and we must work. But those jobs are only means by which God supplies our need. However, there are times when God provides in surprising ways.   

One time God moved in someone’s heart to pay our $15,000.00 hospital bill which would have taken us years to pay off! Another time the Lord provided for a financial need by bringing our daughter into the world over a month early, making hers a premature birth and therefore eligible for our insurance to cover. And at still other times God gave me extra jobs from unexpected sources to meet our needs but make no mistake each time it was God providing for us. 

So, men, what is the practical take away from this biblical truth? Here are a just a couple of things to ponder. Does our heavenly Father really want us to work 80 hours a week to the exclusion of family and ministry? Does God understand we need to get paid “under the table” to avoid taxes and save money? There may be other considerations God wants you to take up with Him. Ask Him if you are really trusting Him to provide or yourself. Are you seeking God first? Does He own the top spot in your list of priorities? How would your wife or children answer that question? Please do not ignore these questions. Your answers are critical.