SPAM in Parenthesis Part One
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matt 6:31-34 (ESV)
“The Lord has given you a parenthesis” Pastor Tony Cuellar had said to me as we made our way to lunch. Tony knows this place in Vineland N. J. that serves a killer Hispanic lunch (for the record…I love Hispanic cuisine) and I had just got done telling him that I had lost my job. As I drove home from that lunch I was comfortable with knowing that, at times, our heavenly Father puts us in a set of parenthesis to give us rest. For those who keep up with Freedom Fighters, you might remember that I had written about losing my job back in December and how a message appeared on my smartphone letting me know that God was in control. It is an awesome promise of God that we find in Luke 12:29-31.
Well at the beginning of the parenthesis things just clicked. Christmas was provided for and it seemed as if the New Year was going to start off with blessings. But all these little mole hills started to appear on my nice, pristine narrow path and I would trip over them once in a while. The first one was when I found out that a brother-in-Christ was hired to replace me. Wasn’t his fault, we talked it over, praised God for His wisdom but it didn’t sit well with me. I got over it as time went by and then came the letters from the N.J. Department of Labor telling me I needed to go to these gatherings at the New Jersey One-Stop.
They were not easy to sit through I can assure you of that. If you want to hear how much the secular world can complain about so little…go to the One-Stop. I would rather poke myself in the eye with a broken plastic fork than to go back and re-hash my experience there, so enough said on that subject. I will say that during this time period I was blessed with the privilege of serving in Housekeeping at America’s Keswick and by the fellowship with the men of the Colony as well as the Keswick staff. But it was time to get to work on looking for work and that’s when the mountains formed from the mole hills. I wasn’t as braced for the kind of impact that was going to not happen…actually finding a job.
Don’t get me wrong, there were offers but they all seemed to take me out of the ministry work that God had placed me in. Dear brothers tried to assure me that by taking one of these jobs it would only be for a season but it just didn’t sit well with me. Then it flat lined and I was slowly sinking into discouragement with the wonderful world of job searching. The classified section was like reading the comic’s and I would look on these new online employment websites, place my resume and then receive offers to sell insurance. They would tell me how I had all the requirements for the position but I just couldn’t do the math on how a guy with a manufacturing background could sell insurance.
Well that’s all I can cover for this Freedom Fighter today. But what needs to be conveyed here is that the promise God made was the God promised kept. During this time period God still provided. Sometimes it came at the eleventh hour but it still came. And no matter what was put on the table or how close some of the bills came due…God provided. I will finish this tomorrow but I want you all to know that out of that provision our family was still able to tithe. Who was I to hold back, but I will admit this to you all…it was a hard thing to do. Until tomorrow then? – Bill Welte is the President and CEO of America’s Keswick
Compass Pointers: “What is the promise for? A promise is given to me so that I may know intelligently what God has planned for me, what God will give me and so what to claim. Those are the promises and they are intelligent directions. They rest upon the character and ability of the One who made them.” The Tozer Pulpit Set Volume 1, Book 3
Anchored to the Rock: It’s so easy to promise to pray for people, or just plan to pray for people, and forget. So many afflictions, so many tragedies or desperate hopes that cry out for intercession. Only an instant of my time, only a few works, a thought – and who knows? It may be the only word of prayer that person will get. – Marjorie Holmes
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