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Friday, May 22, 2009

1 Timothy 5:1-8

5:1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (ESV)

by Jerry Johnson

This section of Scripture teaches us the importance of taking care of those who are not able to meet their own needs. But first we need to honor our elders by listening to their years of wisdom—treating them with the respect they are due. Then we have an obligation to meet their physical needs. Sometimes there are no children available to meet these needs, so the church must play a part. Overarching all of this teaching is the principle from verse eight, which tells us that failing to meet our family financial obligations is in a sense worse than being an unbeliever.



Copyright Information

Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2010, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.