257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105
(262) 763-3021
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We have purchased land on Highways A & W and are planning to build soon! Drive by and take a look at our future home!
“God has no problems – only plans. There is never panic in heaven.”
Corrie Ten Boom
May 2nd, 2010
Last Sunday, I shared the first part of a two part article written by Pastor Greg Gilbert on unemployment that I believed addressed the trial of unemployment from a Biblical worldview. While we periodically talk about work and work through what Scripture says about labor, I can’t remember ever hearing or reading anything from a Biblical perspective on unemployment. This article touched my heart so let me share the conclusion of that article this week. Pastor Gilbert writes:
“A few weeks ago, I posted some thoughts that one of our elders here at Capitol Hill Baptist had shared with the congregation about trusting God through unemployment, and using that kind of time well. At long last (a situation I blame entirely on my new daughter), here's the second half of that elder's talk.”
#6: Encourage the unemployed. We are called to shoulder one another’s burdens. Around town I hear that job-searcher fatigue is taking hold. That is, people are getting tired of helping job searchers. As a church, we must not grow weary in doing good, but continue providing for those who are unemployed.
#7: Beware of Idol Worship. We know from Genesis 2 that work is ordained by the LORD and is good. But our hearts are idol-factories, and in the middle of a prolonged search a job can easily become more important than God and drain your joy. And we lose perspective and think that all we need is a job and then life will be happy and fulfilling. So we must fight this tendency by recognizing it, confessing it, and exercising the discipline of thanksgiving in all situations.
#8: Cry out to the LORD. It is a good thing to cry and pour out your heart to God. Trials remind us that any sense that we have it all together is a complete illusion. God and God alone is in control. As the Psalmist says: “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
#9: Invest the Extra time well. Being without a job is not without its benefits. You have extra time on your hands. And, you will soon miss this when you get a new job.
* Serve others
* Walk through this trial with other unemployed members of the church.
* Spend more time reading and with the LORD. One warning: you still need to plan your quiet times or the day will slip by without one.
#10: Take Advantage of Unique Opportunities for Evangelism. Many friends and former colleagues have invested their entire lives in work. And now many of them are unemployed and are panicking... All of my former colleagues, whether employed or unemployed, expect that I should be panicking too. That is the natural reaction of an unbelieving world.
What's more, I've found that people who normally would never ask you how you are doing will do so now--and now they expect more than a cursory answer. This is a great and natural opportunity to share how you are trusting in the Lord. Share how the Lord has provided for you this week or how the church members are caring for you, or what Scripture you are feeding on that day.
In my experience, it floors people when they realize that you are trusting in something other than yourself. And right there is the opening to share the hope of the Gospel!
With our current economy we will see more and more Christians go in and out of the ranks of the unemployed. It is vital that we realize that God is truly in control, there are no accidents and that even the “trial” of unemployment is an opportunity to glorify God.
It is also a time when we who are employed and typically have much more than we need can live out 1 John 3:17-18, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” May each of us use these times of economic uncertainty to grow deeper in our Christian walk by trusting God more, praying faithfully, encouraging consistently and seeking to use what God has given to minister to others.
