August 18, 2010

1 Timothy 5:1-6:2a (Good News Translation)

Embodying Hope and Encouraging Others in Faith

Introduction

1 Timothy 5:1-6:2a: The author offers Timothy further advice on how to treat others. He says to ensure widows are cared for. However, he places particular restrictions on who should be treated as a widow. Once a widow is placed on the list of widows, the author expects her to live a pure life and to perform certain duties for the church.

Today’s Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:5

A widow who is all alone, with no one to take care of her, has placed her hope in God and continues to pray and ask him for his help night and day.

Today’s Reading

¹Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat the younger men as your brothers, ²the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with all purity. ³Show respect for widows who really are all alone. ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn first to carry out their religious duties toward their own family and in this way repay their parents and grandparents, because that is what pleases God. ⁵A widow who is all alone, with no one to take care of her, has placed her hope in God and continues to pray and ask him for his help night and day. ⁶But a widow who gives herself to pleasure has already died, even though she lives. ⁷Give them these instructions, so that no one will find fault with them. ⁸But if any do not take care of their relatives, especially the members of their own family, they have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever. ⁹Do not add any widow to the list of widows unless she is over sixty years of age. In addition, she must have been married only once ¹⁰and have a reputation for good deeds: a woman who brought up her children well, received strangers in her home, performed humble duties for other Christians, helped people in trouble, and devoted herself to doing good. ¹¹But do not include younger widows in the list; because when their desires make them want to marry, they turn away from Christ, ¹²and so become guilty of breaking their earlier promise to him. ¹³They also learn to waste their time in going around from house to house; but even worse, they learn to be gossips and busybodies, talking of things they should not. ¹⁴So I would prefer that the younger widows get married, have children, and take care of their homes, so as to give our enemies no chance of speaking evil of us. ¹⁵For some widows have already turned away to follow Satan. ¹⁶But if any Christian woman has widows in her family, she must take care of them and not put the burden on the church, so that it may take care of the widows who are all alone. ¹⁷The elders who do good work as leaders should be considered worthy of receiving double pay, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. ¹⁸For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain” and “Workers should be given their pay.” ¹⁹Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or more witnesses. ²⁰Rebuke publicly all those who commit sins, so that the rest may be afraid. ²¹In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the holy angels I solemnly call upon you to obey these instructions without showing any prejudice or favor to anyone in anything you do. ²²Be in no hurry to lay hands on people to dedicate them to the Lord's service. Take no part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. ²³Do not drink water only, but take a little wine to help your digestion, since you are sick so often. ²⁴The sins of some people are plain to see, and their sins go ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others are seen only later. ²⁵In the same way good deeds are plainly seen, and even those that are not so plain cannot be hidden. ¹Those who are slaves must consider their masters worthy of all respect, so that no one will speak evil of the name of God and of our teaching. ²Slaves belonging to Christian masters must not despise them, for they are believers too. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their work are believers whom they love. You must teach and preach these things.

Reflect

The term "widow" in this passage referred to a woman who was over the age of sixty, whose husband had died, and who probably had nobody to depend on. They had their own specific role within the church. What roles do widows play in the church today? How does the church support or not support widows?

Pray

Creator of all people, bless the ministries of widows in the church and empower them to use their particular gifts for the growth of your kingdom. Amen.

Prayer Concern

Widows