THOMAS OTIENDE SHOWS HIMSELF FAITHFUL
Disciple Turns Down Job Offer, Is Then Hired On His Terms

"To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless." Psalm 18:25

In a country with a severely slumping economy where it has become a national pastime to lament about present crises and make dire predictions for the future, it takes conviction, as a married man with two children, to turn down a job offering twice your current salary simply because your would-be employer will not give you time off to attend Thursday evening church service. But that is exactly what Thomas Otiende, a brother in the Nairobi church, did.

The director among the panel of interviewers was very direct with Thomas and swiftly informed him that there was no way that the company would even consider giving him time off on Thursday evenings to attend church. Thomas would not get the job. He resolved to not be a doubting Thomas.

Within 72 hours of that job interview Thomas was called back, was asked to commence work immediately, and was informed that he would be given the whole off on Thursdays.

Thomas , a pharmacist, is a disciple in Nairobi Christian Church's Far East Region. He began looking for new employment because his hours at the pharmacy where he worked previously were extremely long, not giving him the time he needed to be with his family and with the disciples in his ministry. Apart from that, says Benson Kyama, leader of the Far East Region, "Thomas had been expressing the desire and need for a larger house as his daughters are getting older and need more space."

So what gave Thomas the conviction to turn down a job that might have seemed to be the answer to his prayers? "At my previous job," he says, "I had not been firm about Thursdays initially, but learned in time to take a stand." And his wife Sophia helped. She was supportive of Thomas' decision.

Mike Wambwere studied the Bible with and baptized Thomas two years ago, and disciples him today. Commenting about Thomas' turning down the job when not initially given time to attend midweek service, he says, "It was so inspiring. That's what I call conviction. What is most inspiring is to see how far Thomas has come in his faith."

This all serves to illustrate powerfully that when we take a stand for what is right, even at the cost of seeming success and personal advancement, God's promise from Hebrews 13:5 holds true - "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" Truly to the faithful, God shows himself faithful.