Leesha: you ask a very stirring question! http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/jan2008/leeshal18.htm
Personally, I see no “clear cut” right or wrong answers, but rather a matter to be brought before God – most definitely depending on the couple’s circumstances!
For instance: why is the couple still struggling when working? Does the job not pay enough? Not enough hours? Did they get into debt by making poor choices? [for most of us, that’s how we get into debt ~ admittedly!] Many entry-level blue-collar jobs do often tend to pay a sorry starting wage…. Okay, I’m generalizing here, as some do not, but I’m thinking of like the minimum wage jobs working in fast food or stores.
Even so, it is a wage we are to be “content” with:
See
Luke 3:14 be content with your wages
And 1 Timothy 6:8
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.and Hebrews 13:5
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.
One family of 7 shaped how they run their lives & their entire household by this verse, “be content with such things as you have”. They pay cash for cars, and save up to pay cash for a bigger home. Get this! Their grocery bill for the entire month for a growing family of SEVEN is only $350. a month! They buy their clothes at consignment shops. They ARE: “America’s Cheapest Family” www.homeeconomiser.com
Admittedly, I would LOVE to be able to live like that. However, for most of us who did not save up enough to be able to pay cash for a car to begin with, find that we must make car “payments” if we are dependant on transportation to get us to & from work.
Now, other things to consider about a couple who is on welfare even while working. (You mentioned one person working, is the OTHER one bringing in a salary as well?) Anyway, the way I see it is that welfare should be for a step up (when someone’s having a rough time of it) and not a permanent solution to stay on forever. If that’s the case, and they have not lied about their circumstances in order to get it in the first place, then I personally don’t see a problem, -- especially if they are making plans & working in the direction of getting off it at some point in the future.
If they are Christian & have lied about something in order to get it and are feeling badly about that – then “good”! That is the Holy Spirit pricking their conscience …. As lying is not of God, and will in fact, send a person to hell. See Revelation 21:8 (it’s not ONLY unbelievers who are in hell, but these others as well as ALL LIARS, Scripture says!) Anyway, if that was the case of this couple, I would advise quickly repenting to the Lord for lying and then acting to resolve the situation.
However, if they are merely struggling at this time and are needing some immediate assistance – without having exaggerated the truth in order to get it – then I see no problem.
Many times Scripture admonishes that we are to help the poor. Depending on the couple’s needs & circumstances, perhaps the local Church body could offer some help as well ~ many these days have clothes closets & food pantries open & available to the public often times, without having to be a member there. Local food banks = same thing. It’s worth calling around! If the couple is older & homebound (doesn’t sound like the case here), there’s the mobile meals program.
There are countless NT Scriptures of how we {Christians} are to behave regarding finances. Here’s a favorite:
1 Tim 5:8 If anyone fails to provide for his relatives, and especially for those of his own family, he has disowned the faith [by failing to accompany it with fruits] and is worse than an unbeliever [who performs his obligation in these matters]. {AMP}
Again, questions to be asked would include: is the couple healthy & ABLE to work? Both of them? Or are they getting on up in years & have bad health problems? If they are healthy & able to work – could one, perhaps the one who’s the sole bread-winner (the husband) perhaps take on a few more hours at work each week? Or take on a part time job? Or can the other one make a few bucks on ebay or some other enterprise? Are there any extra expenses they can curb ~ AT ALL? Fortunately, DH & I do not have a lot of expensive hobbies or blow money flippantly, but during a bad money crunch, we vowed to eat out less. We still did once in a while to have something to look forward to, but we knew we just had to cut way back & do our best to stick within a budget.
Praying that whoever you’re referring to will not become “money hungry” as the world is in these last days… but will depend on God to meet their needs & learn to be content with such things as they have. It takes a lot of desire & discipline to relearn habits – esp. in the realm of finances, but it can be done… one step at a time! Dave Ramsey has a good course. God bless you as you study His Word & ponder these things in your heart! Reva