Psalm 93- Testimony (Day 5)

Psalm 93:1 The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength;Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.2 Your throne is established from of old;You are from everlasting.3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,The floods have lifted up their voice,The floods lift up their pounding waves.4 More than the sounds of many waters,Than the mighty breakers of the sea,The Lord on high is mighty.5 Your testimonies are fully confirmed;Holiness befits Your house,O Lord, forevermore.NASB

Sunday afternoon is testimony time at the Outback camp. It's always encouraging to hear the testimonies of the campers. All of the work that goes into putting on the camp is worthwhile when you hear the stories of what God has been doing in the lives of the campers. There are always many relationships healed, lives changed, souls saved and fears released.Though we were working hard, the Lord was working harder to save and change lives.

Which brings to mind my own testimony. We have been talking about retirement, so let me share a little of what God has done for me through my work experiences. The first point, the most important point, is that I have always faithfully given my tithes and offerings, and the Lord has always provided for us. Since my first job teaching at Triangle Tech in Pittsburgh, there has never been I time that I was without a job except for the couple of months that we took to move to Mobile in 1978. Even then, when we moved without having secured a new job, the Lord provided an excellent position for me at Scott Paper within two months of our move. Ten years later, when that company was just starting to have difficulties, a former boss offered my a better position at International Paper. The next year Scott Paper completely collapsed.  The Lord had rescued us before we even knew we needed to be rescued!  Through all of these years, we have been blessed both financially and with interesting work.

 Another aspect of my career that has been a great blessing is that I have had many opportunities to learn and to serve. I have participated in interesting projects, that were both intellectually challenging and produced a positive benefit to both the company and to individual employees. To me the most rewarding part of my career has been the many opportunity to help people solve problems. It was very gratifying in these last weeks to receive the thanks from many coworkers who were appreciative of the help that I provided to them over the years. It's tempting to get a big head over being the company expert in certain issues, but I give God all the glory for giving me the ability to understand complex issues and to solve problems that are perplexing to other folks.

A third blessing is that throughout my career, I have worked for companies and supervisors that have respected my beliefs and given me time to pursue ministry opportunities. The many mission trips to Central America would not have been possible without the  finances and time off provided my my employers. I have heard that some people have been criticized in their work place for their faith, but I have always been supported and encouraged by my supervisors and coworkers. That is indeed a blessing. In particular, International Paper has traditionally forced employees to move from mill to mill to advance in their career. For whatever reason, IP allowed me to remain in Mobile for 28 years, where I not only could participate in the ministry in the Gulf Coast area, but could also continue to advance in my career. God is good.

I'm sure that there are many other blessing that I could include in my testimony, but this is enough to demonstrate to you that God is good and He provides for His servants. If you are faithful to serve the Lord He will never let you down.  As the Psalmist says, 

I have been young and now I am old,Yet I have not seen the righteous forsakenOr his descendants begging bread. Ps 37:25