Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God. Now a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help. But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives. Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good? The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry. Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t. So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them. For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan. If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.
1 Timothy 5:1-16 NLT
Sometimes we just need to be practical. In these verses, Paul wrote about taking care of widows. The church was committed to caring for widows who were alone, and completely dependent on the Lord. Paul wanted to make sure that younger widows would not make a false pledge to the Lord. He advised them not to be put on the “list,” so they could be open to remarriage. He also challenged Christians to take care of their own families – to neglect your family is to neglect your faith (v.8). This is an important principle, even today. Paul was a spiritual leader who had no problem being practical. Don’t spiritualize everything; when it is needed, take care of the practical problems, doing what it takes to deal with the challenges God has given you.
Timothy was also told to speak respectfully to older men and women, even when they needed to be rebuked (remember there was false teaching that had infiltrated the Ephesian church). The church must stand against sin and false teaching. That means you need to be willing to have others point out your shortcomings, and you need to be willing to point out things in others. Take a minute and ask yourself if you are willing to do both of those things. They only work in a family of love and encouragement. When people take the time to know, support, and encourage each other, a rebuke is taken as a sign of love.
Why is it important that God cares about the practical parts of your life? Are you willing to receive loving rebuke from others, and to rebuke others in love? Who are the people you have empowered to correct you?
