God or Money

I have worked at PCS for 25 years. The plant runs 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, requiring 4 work shifts. When I started to work at PCS, I was on a rotating shift that meant I worked nights, evenings, and weekends on a regular basis. I missed church, wasn’t home at night and worked weekends and holidays. I wasn’t able to be with my family as I wanted to nor was I able to be diligent about serving God as I wanted to be.

Brother Thomas and Brother John spoke with me and encouraged me to find a way to move to a regular day shift. After several years a day job opened at PCS, but it would require a significant cut in pay if I were to take the job. Based on their counsel, I applied for and got the job that I have now. I have learned that often when you take a step of faith, the Lord will try us to see if we are going to stick with it or give up.

When Moses went to Pharaoh to deliver the children of Israel, Pharaoh made it harder and harder on the children of Israel. (Exodus 5:1-23).

Shortly after I took the new job, my wife had to have emergency surgery and had complications. She was taken to the hospital for a second time after the surgery. Just after her hospitalizations, I got sick and missed work, causing a loss of income. I was in a car wreck, totaled my truck and missed more work. My truck was not covered by insurance. We were struggling financially before all this happened. Afterward, we found ourselves with 21 doctors, hospitals and consultants to pay and no vehicle to get to work. All of this during a time when my employer would not allow any overtime and I had taken a pay cut. I was doing everything I could do to make extra money to pay off the bills and it wasn’t working.

As I began to pray earnestly, the Lord showed me in a real way, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33-34). The scripture does not say seek first to get out of debt or tell you to first solve whatever problem is facing you. I saw that I had been seeking to get out of debt first, not seeking God first. I had been trying to solve my problems myself instead of trusting God for the answers. (James 1:1-5).

It took several years of real sacrifice, but eventually all of the bills were paid off. The Lord provided a way for me to get back and forth to work. My neighbors carpooled and let me pay a small fee to ride with them. The Lord helped me work out payment plans with creditors for all the medical bills. After a time one of the church members gave me a good deal on a nice pick-up truck that needed some minor repairs. Through this time God proved to me that He would never leave me nor forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5-6). He would go before me and fight my battles. (II Chronicles 20:1-24).

Our Loving Lord is with us in the trials that come upon us. If we look to Him, trust Him and wait on Him, He will lead us one day at a time. Praise God!!


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