Saturday, May 3, 2025

A Successful Partnership (Part 1 of 2)

I want to share with you a little background of how God’s amazing plan for us can be realized when we put Him first in our life.

Years before I went into an occupational venture with my business partner, God, I surrendered my past, present, and future life to Him.  I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior.  God forgave my sins, and I became His born-again child.  This was just the beginning of incredible blessings from Him.

Prior to my conversion and becoming a Christian, I had been unemployed for a period, because of the shortage of jobs, and my priorities were not synchronized with God.  I did not allow Him to be my source for anything.  I thought I was self-sufficient enough that I didn’t need Him.

The very next day after accepting Jesus as Lord, weird things began to happen.  I had a strange feeling about going into the carpenter’s hall of which I was a member of that union.  I was an apprentice carpenter in good standing.  I could not shake the feeling.

It was Tuesday, whereas the rollcall was always on Monday.  Jobs were usually posted on that day. 

This feeling was relentless, urging me to go to the hall that morning.  The more I resisted the feeling, the stronger it became as I drove in the opposite direction from where it wanted me to go.  Finally, the feeling became so strong that I gave into the nudging and drove to the hall.

I know now that it was the prompting of the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart.  I was a new Christian and not familiar with the ways God sometimes got our attention. 

To my surprise one of the union representatives had posted a request for a carpenter that very hour.  No other carpenters were in the hall except for me.

I was able to secure the job and worked there for a full year until the project ended.  My employment was amazing, and I loved working for the company.

Even though I was an apprentice carpenter, I found favor with the superintendent that ran the job.  He saw my worth and capabilities and put me in a position just under his leadership.  I became his righthand man, dealing with the crew firsthand.  I found favor because God was with me.

From that job, God led me to another construction site where I was employed for ten years.  Shortly after I was hired, the company’s owner promoted me to carpenter foreman and a short time later I became the general superintendent over several projects. 

God’s blessings were upon me as I found favor with the owner.  I sincerely believe the advancements came because I was God’s child. 

Know this, God always goes before His own and opens doors that man cannot close and closes doors that man cannot open.  God’s hand was upon me, directing my path.

My experiences remind me of a young man spoken of in the Bible known as Joseph.  He was the one that wore the coat of many colors that his father gave to him.  Wherever Joseph’s situations and challenges took him, he always found favor with those he met.

It is a wonderful Bible story of God’s providence—an account of God’s perfect will and plan being done—the protective care that God provided for his children.  The story begins in (Genesis 37:1…).   Please read it when you get a chance.

(Psalm 37:23), “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”

It is important to maintain a one-on-one relationship with God, keeping it fresh and alive.  I believe He is always working on our behalf behind the scenes to bring about an abundant life through His Son, Jesus.

During that ten-year period that I worked for the company, I made good money, and was happy, but my father-in-law was always encouraging me to get my own General Contractor’s License just to have in the event the company folded and went belly-up.

Unbelievably, the interest rate for home loans soared to 20%.  The owner of the company had no choice but to shut things down, because he couldn’t sell the homes we were building: a prestigious area of high-end dwellings.

Yes, my time with him was terminated.  My father-in-law’s prediction came to pass, but I had listened to his counsel and obtained my Contractor’s License before things went South. 

At this point I went into business for myself.  I specialized in kitchen remodels and room additions, because people could not afford to buy houses.  The interest rate was too high.  Many decided to stay where they were and upgrade their homes.   My company flourished.  I also built a few houses for people that owned their own building sites.

God had a plan for me and was fulfilling it.  I owe everything to Him.

www.wordsfrompapa.blogspot.com

Written by,

Papa Boyd

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