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| Author: Pastor Faith Oyedepo |
Topic: Maximising Family Finance (4)
Dear Reader,
God, via His Word has been exposing to us secrets of financial management. This week, I will be looking at Earning Money.
Before you can spend money, it is very important you know how to earn money. Each member of the family ought to be gainfully employed. Discourage idleness. The Bible is clear on this point in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, which says: This we commanded you, that if any WOULD NOT, WORK, NEITHER SHOULD HE EAT. There is dignity in labour …He that gathereth BY LABOUR shall increase (Proverbs 13:11).
From research, it was discovered that the average American works 18 hours per day to keep up with the daily financial demands of life. Some others even work much more than that to achieve excellence. Today, that nation has risen to greatness. The proper foundation of a working culture was planted in them long time ago.
We have a good biblical reference in the book of Nehemiah. Israel had just suffered defeat; the walls of Jerusalem were broken down as a result and needed rebuilding. One key ingredient that granted their success in rebuilding the broken down walls of their nation was that …The people had a MIND TO WORK (Nehemiah 4:6). You need to set your mind to work. Financial fortunes don’t drop on people just like that. You grow into it. My husband said, “If you want the get-rich-quick method, armed robbery will eventually be your job”. The Bible also declares: Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by LABOUR shall increase (Proverbs 13:11).
Some men do rejoice at the fact that they are the head of the home, forgetting the responsibilities attached to that office. It is not enough to rejoice at the great authority that God has vested on man, but to live up to the responsibilities attached to it. So, men put your hands to work so as to perform your God-assigned responsibility.
Another attitude in the society is that of believing that to get a job for you is the responsibility of a family relation or a friend. It is solely your responsibility as an individual to locate something that can yield profit. That is where the aspect of work comes in. Do your own thinking, do your own sourcing for a job and God will meet you along the way. To lean on others all the time is to give in to a parasitical lifestyle. But if you desire to achieve a financial future for yourself and for your family, you will need to stand financially and not wait for someone to always do things for you.
You have what it takes to make it in Christ Jesus; so, make your life count. As a child of God, you have been specially equipped by God with what it takes for your hands to be working hands. …And unto one he gave five talents… (Matthew 25:15). You have what it takes to get a gainful employment. Just put to use the God-given tools to locate it.
A well known author once said, “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first”. So, think of what to give to the world, not just what to gain from the world.
To have functional homes, where financial stress is not seen, you must engage yourself in productive work. A man must work in order to provide specially for his own house spiritually, materially and financially, and ensure his members have what to eat and wear. Some men, after working, make provision for their village meetings, relations and friends at the expense of their immediate family members. This is a wrong order of financial priority. I know of a man, who cares less about providing feeding money for his family but goes daily to eat in a restaurant. This man needs to be delivered from selfishness. He must learn to have the interest of his family members at heart. Such a man is working, but not spending the money for the proper purpose. Thus, he needs to work and also engage wisdom to use the money properly, so his labour will not be in vain.
The woman was created to play a supportive role and not to be the bread winner. Adam was already on the job and working, before Eve arrived. Therefore, a man without a job is not ready for family life at all; the first requirement (a gainful job) has not been fulfilled. Adam didn’t just have a job, he was pursuing his God-given assignment, his purpose. He was involved in a gainful employment. A man who is too slothful to find a gainful employment should not eat; rather, he should go out and put his hands to work in order to cater for his wife and children.
It is not a part of God’s program for a wife to take on the responsibility as the bread winner of the home. Such a situation is abnormal; the hand of the devil can be seen in that case. This normally results in the wife hiding away money from the husband because she is afraid he would squander it and at the same time refuse to take care of her because he is unemployed.
A man cannot win his wife’s trust if he selfishly spends all the money on new clothes and the likes, on himself. His wife might also begin to take money from the feeding money to buy her personal things. “I have seen my husband handle money and I trust God and him about money, to the point that in time past when I got home after taking my salary, I would surrender all of it to him, not bothering how it is spent, and he blesses me and cares for me in many ways even in small details.” I believe this is what the Lord desires all husbands to do for their wives.
Benjamin Franklin said, “God never encourages idleness, and despises not persons in the meanest (lowly) employments”. If you are waiting for an executive job, flashy employment before taking up the task of working, you might find yourself idle for quite a long while. One man, when asked his secret of success, said “Work: work develops all the good there is in a man; idleness all the evil. Work sharpens all his faculties and makes him thrifty; idleness makes him lazy and a spend thrift”.
If you want to surrender your life to Christ, you can do so today, so that you will be given all it takes to meet your family needs. Just say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom”.
Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).
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