Question submitted via the Ask a Question page. When answered, this subject will be reposted under the Ask Mike category.

QUESTION: What does the Bible say about providing for one’s family? Under what circumstances does 1 Timothy 5:8 apply?  What does God expect from us when there are no jobs to be found?

STATUS: ANSWERED.  A private response has been sent, and a public response posted in “Ask Mike,” and “Christian Living.”

WHAT I THINK I KNOW RIGHT NOW:

Being without work takes an emotional toll, both on us personally and on our family. Sometimes no amount of effort can overcome one’s problems.  The solution is not a matter of simply putting in more effort or “doing better.”  There is something we are called to do, and if we are unaware of it, we will suffer the futility of our flesh until we grasp it.  This solution removes our emotional burden, generates respect and security in those we are providing for, and gives us hope and confidence for the future.  And of course, it lays an important foundation for our relationship with God. But it doesn’t come without change, and that is the catch.  Obedience is never without cost in a cursed world, and cost is often what dissuades us from pressing towards God’s promises.

SO, YOU’RE DONE?

It is finished.  Go read it!

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• The Provision to Provide