Provide for Your Own

Some people who come to faith suddenly want to give everything away. That can be a beautiful impulse. But it can also go badly wrong.

William Seymour, the African-American preacher at the centre of the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles in 1906, saw both sides. In a short teaching called “In Money Matters,” he warned against teachers who told new believers to sell everything, with terrible results. “Under false teaching,” he wrote, “children have been left to go half naked, women have left their husbands, and husbands leave their wives to wash and scrub, and the Bible says that is worse than infidelity.”

Then he quoted the verse that sets a limit on that kind of zeal.

Worse than an unbeliever

“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8)

That’s one of the strongest statements in the New Testament, and it’s about money. A Christian who refuses to look after their own family, when they’re able to, is behaving worse than an unbeliever. Even people who don’t know God know that you look after your family.

This verse is mainly about caring for elderly relatives, especially widows, in a world without pensions. But it applies to all our family responsibilities: to our spouse, to our children, to our ageing parents. Providing for them is not a distraction from serving God. It is part of serving God.

Balance

Seymour didn’t then tell people to hoard. He went on to warn just as strongly against the opposite error: “It does not mean for you to have great real estate and money banked up while your brothers and sisters are suffering.” And he taught that the Spirit would lead each believer in their giving. It is not either/or. It is both: provide for your family, and give generously.

That balance runs right through the Bible. The Proverbs 31 woman is a capable businesswoman who buys a field, plants a vineyard and makes sure her household is clothed for winter. And “Her hand is open to the poor; she reaches out to help the needy” (Proverbs 31:20). She provides and she gives.

What providing looks like

Providing for your family means more than just paying the bills. Here are some areas to think about.

Daily needs. Food, clothing, shelter, health care and education. This is the basic level, and most of our income goes here.

Margin for emergencies. We looked at this in the last chapter. An emergency fund protects your family from small crises becoming large ones.

Protection. Depending on where you live and your circumstances, this might mean insurance, so that your family isn’t left destitute if you become ill or die. Some Christians worry that insurance shows a lack of faith. But Joseph stored grain for the famine, and nobody accuses him of unbelief. Wise provision is a form of love.

The future. Proverbs says, “A good person leaves an inheritance to their grandchildren” (Proverbs 13:22). That doesn’t have to mean a fortune. It means thinking beyond yourself and your own lifetime. It can include saving for old age, so that you are not a burden on your children, and making a will, so that your family isn’t left in confusion.

Time and presence. Providing isn’t only about money. Many parents work so hard to provide things for their children that they have no time left to give them themselves. Children need a parent more than they need a bigger house.

Ageing parents

In many cultures, caring for elderly parents is simply expected. In others, it has become optional. The Bible is clear. Jesus rebuked religious leaders who found a loophole to avoid supporting their parents by declaring their money “devoted to God.” He said they were cancelling the word of God for the sake of their tradition. Honouring your father and mother includes providing for them when they can no longer provide for themselves.

That can be costly, in money and in time. But it is one of the clearest ways the Bible asks us to show our faith.

Providing is not hoarding

How do you tell the difference between providing for your family and hoarding for yourself? Here are some questions to ask.

• Am I providing for real needs, or am I building a bigger and bigger cushion out of fear?
• Is my giving growing along with my provision for my family?
• Am I using “providing for my family” as an excuse to avoid giving?
• Am I teaching my children to trust God, or to trust money?

When you can’t provide

Some readers will feel the weight of this chapter painfully. Perhaps you have lost your job, or you are ill, or you are a single parent working two jobs and still can’t make ends meet. 1 Timothy 5:8 is not a word against you. It is aimed at people who could provide and won’t.

If you are struggling, the same chapter tells the church to care for those who have no one else. It is not shameful to receive help. The early Christians shared so that “No one among them lacked anything” (Acts 4:34). Let your church family help carry the load, and remember that your heavenly Father knows what you need.

A voice from the past

William Seymour, after warning against careless teaching, gave this balanced word about property:

“It is right for you to have property, but if the Lord says, take $200 or $500 or $1,000 and distribute here or there, you do it.”

William J. Seymour, In Money Matters

Practice this week

Sit down, alone or with your spouse, and ask: are there any gaps in how we provide for our family? Do we have an emergency fund? A will? Do our ageing parents need help? Choose one gap and take a first step toward closing it this month.

For groups

• Why do you think Paul uses such strong language in 1 Timothy 5:8?
• What does the Proverbs 31 woman teach us about balancing providing and giving?
• How can “providing for my family” become an excuse not to give?
• How can a church help those who are struggling to provide for their families?