Providing For Your Own
1 Timothy 5:8
"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
This chapter begins by God telling the church how to take care of the widows. God made it very clear that the children are to take care of the widow; however, when there is no family to take care of the widow, then the church needs to do its best to make sure her needs are well cared for.
In the verse above, God shows that the best way to deal with this problem of taking care of widows is for the husband to provide for her, even when he is gone. God makes this such a strong statement that He says a man who doesn't provide for his own is "...worse than an infidel." An infidel is an unsaved person who is untrustworthy. God was not just talking about a person not being saved, but He adds to the degree by saying they are untrustworthy. This means that if a Christian man does not provide for his wife to the day of her death, then an untrustworthy lost man is a better person than he. I believe providing for your own means several things.
First, a man who provides for his own is a man who leads the home spiritually. Notice that God compared the person who doesn't provide for his own to an infidel. That means the man should lead the home by getting saved. It is sad when a man is a hard worker, but won't get saved. Sir, do you realize that if you were to die that your wife and children will never see you again? Part of taking care of your own is to take care of your eternity. If you are not saved, then you need to care for this.
Second, taking care of your own implies that a man is trustworthy. Part of being an infidel is being untrustworthy. Every man should be someone who can be trusted. When you say you are going to do something, then be sure to find a way to follow through. Be trustworthy in your marriage vows. Don't give your wife a reason not to trust your fidelity. You can provide security to your wife by being trustworthy in every area of your life.
Third, a man should be the bread winner of the home. We live in a society where it pushes the woman to be the bread winner of the home. God never intended for it to be this way. God intended for the husband to be the one who earns the living to pay for the bills and daily needs. Every man should do everything in his power to earn enough money to pay the bills so that it allows his wife to stay at home to care for the children.
Fourth, a man should also take care of his wife when he is gone. The context of the verse above is mainly talking about providing for your spouse after your death. That means you should make sure that you have a good retirement program. There is no better time to start preparing for retirement than now. You may be starting later in life, but later is better than never. Furthermore, I think it is wise to have life insurance. A life insurance policy will go a long way in making sure your wife is cared for when you are gone. Talk to a qualified person about this topic as there are many views about life insurance. Moreover, I believe you can provide after you are gone by setting up a revocable living trust. This will help you to be sure that when both husband and wife are gone that their assets are cared for a manner in which God would be pleased.
I certainly understand that sometimes adverse circumstances can mess up your plans, but you should do your best to make sure to care for all of these areas. The government is not responsible to care for your family. You are! Let this devotional spur your concern about making sure that you are preparing for all of these areas.