The following excerpt is taken from pg. 64-65 of the book “Mondy Issues for Christians Today” by David L. Martin.
Many present-day families think that a single-income household is no longer possible. The say that supporting a family costs more than a working husband can provide. Mother must also earn to help meet the family’s financial needs.
Yet, in their quiet, unassuming way, God-fearing families are showing that the world is wrong. Christian mothers happily serve as home. Faithful fathers adequately provide for the household. They prove that one income can still support a family.
Amazingly, this happens against many odds. We have larger families, refuse government handouts, give generously, and pay double for education (taxation and church offerings). What makes this possible?
1. God’s Blessing. This is a resource that the world does not have. Each day, we commit our needs to the One who has promised to supply all of them (Phil 4:19). God honors our faith by strengthening our hands, reducing our needs, and pouring out His blessing.
2. Bible direction. God has outlined the place and responsibility of husband and wife. Father is the provider (1 Timothy 5:8). Mother is a keeper at home (Titus 2:5), bearing children and guiding the house (1 Timothy 5:14). Society’s norm and economic pressures have not yet proved God’s plan faulty or unworkable.
3. Fulfillment in Christ. Need levels are high in homes where Christ is rejected. These poor families try to fill the void with things that money can buy. But satisfaction cannot be bought, and though husband and wife both work, they “[earn] wages to put it into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:6)
4. Love at home. This provides more than good home relationships; it affects family economics. Love lays the foundation for contentment at home nad removes the appeal of restaurants, shopping malls, and recreational travel. Simplicity and sacrifice add to the joy in a loving Christian family.
5. Mother’s contribution. “She … worketh willingly with her hands” (Proverbs 31:13), feeding, clothing and caring for the family. She receives no formal paycheck, but knows how to compound the family’s resources. As an effective “helper” in the family business, she adds to father’s earnings with her inspiration and helpful assistance. She spends little on herself and nothing at the hairdresser. Yet to God and the family, her worth and beauty are beyond compare.
6. Christian economics. Conservative money handling is part of our Mennonite heritage. We earn before we spend, and save before we borrow. Our family resources are not wasted on credit-card debts or installment payments for consumer goods. We view money s a stewardship trust from God.
7. Help of Church. The world’s influence constantly strikes at our Biblical lifestyle. No family can stand alone against this pressure. Every home needs the encouragement, example, and fellowship of a Scriptural church, which promotes and protects godly families.
Single-income households are not just relics of a past era in society. They stand as monuments of God’s plan for the family. They show that a Biblical lifestyle, family integrity, and practical faith are still possible in the world today.
