I always have believed that you can tell a lot about a person by watching how they treat others.  Especially how they treat others who may be in need.  Paul gives Timothy instructions about this for him to give to the church.  Let’s look at his words in I Timothy 5 together today.

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. 3 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7 Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. 8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.  If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

We are given explicit instructions to care for those in need, first as family members, second as brothers and sisters in Christ, and finally as members of the same church body.  When we care for others we are sharing with them the great love that Jesus has shown toward us.  There’s a particular emphasis on caring for our own relatives which can often be a challenge.  I have an increasing large group of friends who are currently caring for elderly parents more and more.  Pray that God would give us all the grace and love to do this task lovingly and well after all our parents have certainly cared for us plenty over the years.  May we all look to love each other well and help to carry one another’s burdens as we share the love of Jesus and walk through the journey of life.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave