Provider

[pruh-vahy-der] noun a person that provides

I remember in the early years of my marriage while we were still in college. My wife had recently given birth to our first daughter and money was tight. I took a job selling cars, worked as a telemarketer in a call center, helped clean toilets at the local car dealerships at night and I also cut hair on the weekends in the dorms on campus for extra cash. Yes, it was often humiliating working odd jobs just to make ends meet, but I didn’t allow my pride to stop me from doing whatever it took to provide for my family. I believe there is absolutely no excuse why a man cannot provide for his family. None whatsoever! I know this may sound harsh, but it's true. As long as you have breath in your lungs, the activity of your limbs and a sound mind, you have no reason why you can’t get on the grind and go to work to provide for your family. I don’t care if you have little to no education, if you’re a felon or just simply have no work experience. You still have gifts, talents and abilities that God has placed inside you that have yet to be tapped into and it's time to start using them to provide for your family. “I can't find a job, nobody is hiring and the economy is doing bad right now.” I’ve heard these excuses too many times to count and my response is the same every time. “If you want it bad enough you won’t make excuses, you will make it happen.” They may not be hiring in the line of work you’re accustomed to, but that doesn’t mean you can’t explore other options. And if all else fails, create your own job. Operate in your entrepreneurial gift and calling.

1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and put your family first. If God has given you the activity of your hands, use them to make a living for your family. If you have a unique service you can provide to others, use it to provide for your family. God has given you a creative mind; use it to make a living for your family. Don't make excuses, make it happen.

Call To Action: Do a self-inventory of all your skills, gifts and talents. Ask yourself, “What am I good at or what am I passionate about?” This may be your area of gifting that could be used to generate income for your family. Whether you can repair cars, fix computers, cut hair, even if you’re good at math or writing, you can help tutor students for a nominal fee to help generate income.

Prayer: Lord, You are not slack concerning Your promises. Open my eyes to the skills, gifts and talents You’ve given me. Give me the wisdom and knowledge to cultivate my gifts and use them to provide for my family. Forgive me for being too prideful to accept jobs and opportunities that seem beneath me. I thank You in advance for opening new doors of opportunity for me to be the provider You have called me to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.